The Winchester Stray
by Ami DragonHeart
Summary: What happens when Dean brings a demon back to life and Sam wants to take it home with him?Alternate Reality.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer - I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters involved in this story...Except for Celethrathien. Also...just for the heck of it Celethrathien is pronounced 'Cel - i - thra - theen'.

Black swirled against the night sky as a pert nose sniffed daintily. They were coming, and fast. Clawed fingers gripped the hilt of a silver sword. Drawing the katana from its sheath, pointed ears twitched ever so slightly, as the sound of soft footfalls on the hut behind reached them.

"Celethrathien," a soothing voice murmured, "You do not have to do this. This is my fight, not your's." Celethrathien spun to face the source of the voice, black cloak whipping in the wind. Violet eyes flashed in the moonlight. "I know," Celethrathien replied, "But I would fight it anyway, father." A tall muscular man alighted next to Celethrathien, indulging the youth with a charming smile. "You do an old man proud my child." Violet eyes flashed once more as the youth smiled back. "Stop it," Celethrathien replied, "You are not that old. Now, let's show them what it means to face a family's wrath."

The violet-eyed warrior leapt off the hut, silver sword glinted coldly in the moonlight, before plunging itself deeply into the flesh of its first opponent. Thrust after thrust, the sword bit into warm muscle, the earth slowly dying red as blood drenched the ground. Violet eyes caught sight of a massive enemy just moments before Celethrathien's sword went flying. "Celethrathien," a familiar voice called, before a solid mass collided with the youth's body, sending the violet-eyed warrior crashing backwards into the church grounds.

Droplets of water splattered against the youth's skin. Tired violet orbs forced themselves open in time to see the youth's father fall to the ground, his head rolling across the ground to rest by Celethrathien's feet. A single tear fell down a pale cheek, before exhaustion finally caught up, and violet eyes fluttered closed, welcoming a world of black.

Please review. Your comments make me a better writer.

May your thoughts and creativity flow,

Lady Ami DragonHeart


	2. Requiescat in Pace

Just for reference's sake..._'Requiescat in Pace'_ is latin for 'Rest in Peace'.

Rain pounded against pale skin. Violet eyes slowly fluttered open to greet the dawn light. A blade was suddenly thrust against the youth's throat. "Get up murderer," a harsh voice sounded. Silently cursing their own stupidity for being caught sleeping, the youth absentmindedly reached for their sword, only to grasp at air.

Violet eyes widened in shock. No sword. It had been knocked aside in the battle last night. Scanning the area for the familiar blade, violet eyes were met with carnage instead. Bodies littered the ground, while blood had turned the earth red. Sorrowful eyes finally stumbled across the headless corpse of their father.

A rough hand grasped the youth's hair, dragging Celethrathien to a standing position. "Time to do to you what we should have done a long time ago," spat the village priest, "Demon." Violet eyes briefly recognised the faces of priests from neighbouring villages, before strong hands grabbed the demon, dragging it deep under the church grounds.

Lying the demon on an alter, the priests placed a series of wards around the door, preventing the demon from ever leaving. Lastly they combined their power to place the demon in an eternal slumber. As the demon's violet eyes slowly shuddered closed, it breathed out a final spell of it's own. "I will rise again," the warrior whispered, "When there is need for me once more, I will rise again." Violet eyes shut as the doors to the tomb were closed.

May your thoughts and creativity flow,

Lady Ami DragonHeart


	3. Webs and Kittens

Two men stepped out of a black car, taking in the surroundings. "Well Sam," one muttered, "Welcome to the sleepy little town of Starlight Creek. Home of two hundred and eight people, and one pesky little demon that's slowly killing off the residents. Let's go see what we can find out. See if they have a library, and I'll poke around, find out what the people know."

"I don't think that'll be necessary Dean," Sam told his brother, pointing at a sign outside the church. A freshly painted board stood just outside the manicured lawn. 'Demon Hunter Wanted.' "Well," Dean smirked, "That narrows our search down. Don't you wish we had a welcoming like this in every town?" Sam shook his head at his brother's folly as both brothers proceeded to collect their equipment from the trunk of Dean's car, before striding into the church.

Sam's eyes widened as he crossed the church threshold. "Did you feel that?" he asked his brother. Dean nodded his agreement, "Like some force is shielding this place," he replied, "But for what purpose, I'm not sure." Catching sight of the priest, the brothers strode purposefully toward him. Sam felt his eyes roll when his brother greeted the old priest. "Hi, I heard you were in the market for a couple of Demon Hunters."

A few minutes later, and both boys found themselves seated in the priest's sitting room with a tray of cookies. "I don't know exactly how it happened," the priest began, "But it all began approximately two hundred years ago. This town used to be a tiny village. Nothing bad happened, and we certainly didn't have any problems with demons.

"Then came a great battle. The grass was washed red. The fields lost their entire crops that year. Corpses littered the ground, yet among the numerous bodies lay one sole survivor. A warrior named Celethrathien.

"The people had always known there was something different about the boy. Could feel it in their bones. It was then they realised, as he lay on the steps of this very church, that he was actually a demon.

"The stories say he was a sight to behold. Standing on the outskirts of the village. A figure, cloaked in black. Sword glinting coldly in the dying sunlight. Eyes shining with malice. He was a true warrior. In fact, it took five priests to lock him in a tomb, and send him to an eternal rest"

"Sounds like an old wives tale to me," Dean told the priest, "Come on Sam, lets go do some investigating." The brothers stood, about to make their way back to Dean's car, when the old preacher pushed them back down into their seats. "I know it sounds fanciful," the old priest told them, "I wouldn't have believed it myself, had it not been for the fact that I've seen the tomb.

"Since the boy was entombed, this town has been plagued by disappearances and un-explained murders. We learnt to live with it, only going out while the sun was up, locking up our houses before the sun set every night, but lately, it just hasn't been enough. Children are being taken from their beds at night, people who stray too close to the woods are disappearing in broad daylight. The only place that has been left un-touched is this church. His spirit is angry with us, and now we need to destroy him before his soul takes another innocent life."

Dean turned to face his brother. "Can't hurt to check it out," Sam reasoned. Rolling his eyes, Dean nodded, "Fine," he bit out, "We'll check out this tomb."

The priest led the brothers to a dark stairwell. The dust, and the fact that the stairs were hewn from the natural foundations, were testimony to just how old this tomb could be. Reaching the base of the stairs, the brothers were met with two, heavy, solid silver doors.

Sam immediately set to trying to read the wards inscribed all over the doors. Dean, being the more impatient of the two, grabbed hold of the handles and gave the doors a massive tug. Holders along the walls, containing oils, suddenly ignited, bringing the tomb into high relief.

The room was bare, apart from a stone alter residing on a dais at the far side of the room. Both boys crept closer to the alter, and to the body resting on it. Dean reached the body first, pressing his fingers against the boy's throat. "It's cold," Dean told his brother, "And I'm not getting a pulse."

"Strange," Sam muttered, earning him an inquiring glance from his brother, "This body's been down here for two hundred years, and there's not even a single trace of decay. It's like he died yesterday. Besides, I've never felt so calm. For a demon, he has an extremely smoothing aura. I think his soul could be what created the shield around the church. He's protecting this place, even in death."

"Well," Dean replied, "Let's get moving then. If this demon isn't what's behind the murders, then why waste the time finishing it. We can always come back later, but for now, we need to stop whatever's killing these people."

The brothers were almost out the door when they felt a ripple run through their bodies. Turning back to face the body, they felt another pulse ripple through them. They quickly pulled the doors closed, just as the body slowly began to sit upright.

Clawed fingers flexed as two arms stretched skyward. Standing up from the alter, the demon's cloak slipped from his small shoulders. Dean felt his breath catch in his throat as his eyes took in the black velvet skirt with slits all the way up to the demon's hips, exposing a rather tantalising amount of smooth, creamy skin, to the black bodice embracing the demon's slim waist and buxom..."Damn it," Dean swore at Sam, "I thought the priest said Celethrathien was a guy." Sam gave his brother a worried glance, it wasn't natural for Dean to ask for information twice. "He did," Sam replied, still wondering about his brother's mental health. A small blush crept on to Dean's cheeks, "Yeah," he replied, "Well I can see two very good arguments refuting that statement."

Sam rolled his eyes, trust Dean to be more concerned with the fact that the priest had lied about the demon's sex then about the fact that she was now very much alive. Sam returned his gaze to the alter, to find the demon gazing at them with curiosity. Dean sighed, pulling out his gun, "And just when I'd moved you to the back of my 'to do' list."

Aiming for her heart, Dean fired off two shots before Sam stilled his hand. "Wait," he cried, but deep down, he knew it was too late. Dean rarely missed a shot. The brothers turned back to the alter, expecting a body, only to find shattered stone. Glancing up, the boys saw the demon clinging to the stone ceiling briefly, before crashing back to the floor. She groaned a slight 'ow' of pain, rubbing her head with one clawed hand.

Bringing the gun up once more, Dean aimed at the demon lying before him. Sam suddenly jumped in between his brother and the demon. "Stop," Sam cried, "You can't kill her. We make a living out of hunting evil, but I can't sense anything evil about her. Even when you shot at her, she still never raised a hand against you. You said it yourself, she's obviously not the one killing the townsfolk, so why harm her?"

"She's a demon Sam," Dean told him, "It's in her nature to kill. She may not be hunting humans now, but if we don't kill her now, she'll be hunting them down as soon as we leave." Sam sighed, why couldn't his brother see Celethrathien wasn't evil. "Look Dean," Sam bit out, it was taking all of his patience not to try to knock some sense into his brother's thick skull, "Stop seeing her with your eyes. You need to see past her demonic blood and find her soul. She isn't evil, I can feel it, and I know you can too. I'll take full responsibility for her, just don't shoot her." Dean grumbled silently, he hated being wrong, and he hated admitting it even more. "Fine," he told his brother, "She can stay, but if she puts a single toe out of line, I won't hesitate to bring her down."

"Hey Dean," Sam said to his brother, "She can't go out dressed like this. Don't you have some old clothes that might fit her?" Dean sighed, he knew the clothes Sam was talking about. Dean was a slightly slimmer build then his brother, and his old clothes were more likely to fit the demon. "Sure," he muttered, "I'll go get them."

On his return, Dean stopped at the sound of a rich, sultry voice. Leaning against the doorway, Dean listened in to the conversation. "He's right," She told Sam, "I am tainted, but not by human blood. My mother died when I was little, I don't even remember anything about her, but my father was a great man. His dream was for demons and humans to co-exist peacefully. He fought for the people, protected them from demons, yet it was the people he protected who were so quick to condemn me after the battle.

"Father knocked me aside, preventing a demon from making the killing blow, but lost his own life in the process. The last thing I saw, as the demons began to ravage the village, was my father's head rolling towards me." Dean closed his eyes for a moment, in silent remembrance of his mother. Maybe he could afford to cut the girl some slack.

Sam's voice soon broke the quiet. "I've been thinking," Sam announced. 'Never a good thing,' Dean thought. "You need a name," Sam continued. 'What the...' Dean's brain cried, 'She already has a name. She's not just some stray pet you can take home and name, although the idea has some merit.' Dean could think of a few names he'd like to call the young demon, all of which required a closer level of intimacy, preferably with as little clothing as possible. "Celethrathien is a bit of a mouthful," Sam continued on, "And doesn't exactly fit in today's society. How about 'Selene'?" Dean finally made himself known, striding back into the room, a bundle of clothes under one arm. "Sam," he told his brother, "You've been watching too much 'Underworld' again."

"I think it suits her," Sam replied, "It's powerful, exotic, really close to her own name, and besides, you watch 'Underworld' with me every time." Dean laughed, he had to admit, she really did look like a 'Selene', although, that said, visions of her done up in that little leather number would haunt his dreams tonight. "Hey, I won't lie to you," Dean told his brother, "Kate Beckinsale is hot." Sam laughed, trust his brother to watch a movie based on how hot the female lead was. "Why is she hot?" Selene asked, "Does she have a fever?" Both brothers shared a glance before breaking down into fits of laughter.

Sam recovered first, sitting down beside the young demon. "Hot can mean one of two things," Sam explained kindly, "It can either be used to refer to the temperature, but it can also be a gage of how good looking someone is. The better looking they are, the 'hotter' they are." An expression of understanding dawned on Selene's face. "I think I have it now," she told them.

"Here," Dean called out, tossing the demon the bundle of clothing, "These should fit." Selene nodded mutely as she scanned the clothing, before glancing back up at the two boys. "Well?" She inquired, "Do women no longer have privacy while they disrobe?" Coming to their senses, the brothers quickly exited the room.

"By the way," Dean called over his shoulder as he left, "It's called getting changed or getting dressed. We don't 'disrobe' any more." Selene sent him a small glare before setting about the task of 'getting changed'.

Selene walked out of the tomb, her clothes folded neatly over one arm. Dean groaned inwardly at the sight, his clothes had looked pretty damn good on him, but on her they just looked amazing. She was wearing faded black jeans, torn on one knee, a simple black t, and a belt to hold the pants up. She'd opted to keep her black leather boots.

Her long dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders, framing the delicate features of her face. Bright amethyst eyes shone with an innocent light as they gazed at the world. His gaze flicked down to her full, red lips just begging to be kissed. Oh yeah, Dean thought to himself, he was definitely going to need a cold shower tonight.

They walked silently out to Dean's car to stow her clothes. Selene's eyes widened, and Sam felt her stiffen slightly as she saw how much the world had changed. Nudging her gently with his shoulder, he strode confidently toward the road. Selene followed slowly behind him.

Once they reached the road, Selene suddenly grabbed both brothers and pulled them backwards as a car roared past. "What the hell was that for?" Dean yelled at her, completely forgetting that she'd been dead for over two hundred years. Selene shrunk back behind Sam's comforting bulk, mumbling about demons. Her bright eyes clouded over with fear, before she broke away, running as far away from the main road and the shiny 'demons'.

"Idiot," Sam spat at his brother, "Did you forget that she'd never seen a car before? Let alone one in motion? I'm going to go see if I can repair the damage you just did." Dean stood on the sidewalk, staring off into space as his brother charged off after the young demon. He bent to gather up the clothes she'd dropped, mentally kicking himself for being so harsh. Oh well, he'd just have to apologise next time he saw her.

Sam finally found her standing in a field, eyes closed as the wind tossed her long hair. "Hey," he murmured softly, "Sorry about my brother, he tends to speak first and think later." He stood beside her, placing one arm gently around her shoulders, before pulling her into a tentatively to his side. Selene welcomed the action, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's getting dark," she murmured, "You should get back to your before he starts to worry."

Sam pulled away just enough to look at her. "You should come too," he told her, tucking a strand of hair behind her elvan ears. "I'm a demon," she replied, "I'll be just fine. I can take care of myself." Sam chuckled at her independence, she really was an intriguing woman. "I know you can," he told her, "But that won't stop me worrying about you. Even if you can take care of yourself, I'd worry a whole lot less if I could see you were okay with my own two eyes." Selene nodded slightly, "Fine," she replied, "I'll come, but only to stop you from worrying."

Sam bent down, offering her his back. "Climb on," he told her. Selene stared at him in shock, before breaking into laughter. "You do realise that I could carry you back to your brother," she retorted, "And I wouldn't even be short of breath?" Sam glanced back at her. "I don't doubt that," he chuckled, "But I'm betting you're so light, I could carry you back and not even notice the extra weight. Now hop on." Selene leapt on to the offered back, wrapping her arms and legs around Sam. "You do realise how entirely improper this is," she informed him, "We aren't even betrothed." Sam began the trek back to the car. "Things have changed," he replied, "I could carry you around like this all day, and no one would even bat an eyelid." The demon smiled, resting her chin on Sam's shoulder. "You know," she murmured, "I'm really beginning to enjoy this era."

Dean glanced up in time to witness his brother carrying the demon back to him, a bright smile on Selene's face. He was suddenly thankful for having someone like Sam as his brother. Dean charged through life head-first, not really caring about the people who got in his way. It was the way he'd been brought up. His father trained him to focus on the task, to give complete concentration to the hunt. He'd tried so hard to be the best son and the best hunter, that he'd forgotten how to just be human, but Sam was different.

Sam had always fought their father. Sam strove to have a normal life, and just be himself. He may not be the quickest with a gun, but Dean knew, his brother always had his back. Sure Dean always won their sparring matches, but Sam always pulled a close second. Sam's calm and reassuring ways always helped sooth the toes Dean inadvertently stepped on. Looking at how comfortable Selene was around Sam, Dean smiled slightly. If anyone could help ease her into the twenty-first century, it was Sam. Dean only wished it was him who was carrying her like that.

Sam deposited the girl in front of the car, and stared expectantly at his brother. "Look," Dean bit out, man did he hate apologies, "I'm sorry, okay?" Selene listened to the tone in his voice, mistaking his honest apology for flippant words. "For what?" She asked, eyebrows raised, her smile vanishing completely, "For treating me like an imbecile, or for trying to kill me?" Dean's eyes flashed with anger. He didn't apologise often, but when he did, he expected them to at least be accepted, not thrown back in his face. 'So much for actually being nice,' his mind screamed, 'she may be hot as hell, but she certainly no lady.' Attractive or not, there was no way he was going to let this demon walk all over him.

"That's it," Dean spat, "We're here to track down whatever's killing off these people, not baby-sit a bratty demon. Go find someone else to annoy, and Sam," Dean strode to his side of the car, "Get in the damn car." Sam kept glancing between the two, his face torn with indecision. "Go," Selene told him, "I can take care of myself." Sam nodded before hopping in his side of the car. The engine roared to life and Selene watched as they drove away.

"Dean," Sam said, "Think about things from her perspective. She died at the hands of the very people she protected, and as soon as she wakes up, you try to kill her all over again. Now she's all alone in the world, and in a completely different time." Sam smiled inwardly as his brother broke heavily. "Yeah, Yeah," he muttered, kicking the car into reverse, "Save the sob story would ya?" He reversed back to where Selene was still standing. "Get in," Dean barked, waiting for the demon to climb in before flooring the gas, heading to the nearest motel.

Once the three had settled themselves into the motel room, Dean turned to look expectantly at Selene. "What?" she asked, matching his stare for an icy glare of her own. "It's dinner time," he informed her, "So get cooking." Selene's anger doubled, her blood seething in the veins as she stared the hunter down. "If you're so hungry," she spat back with all the royal disdain of a vexed lion, "Then do it yourself." Dean's anger rose tot he occasion. There was no way he was letting some chit of a girl get the better of him. "You're the free-loader," he smirked back at her, "Think of this as payment for us keeping you. Damn my soft-hearted ways. Now here's the food," he told her, passing the shocked demon their supplies, "Get cooking." Selene watched his cocky swagger as Dean exited the room to take a shower.

"I'll help," Sam told her as she made her way tot he kitchenette. "Thanks," she smiled warmly, unpacking the food, before her smile soon became a look of total distaste, "You call this food?" Sam chuckled, the food they had wasn't the best, but it lasted. Besides, neither brother spent that much time cooking. They preferred to utilise their time hunting. "Build the fire," She commanded, "I'll be back soon." With that, Selene swept out the door into the fading dusk light.

Dean stepped out of the bathroom only to have the heavenly scent of dinner waft past his nose. Continuing out to the main living space, Dean's mouth began to water. Sam was already seated at the table, while Selene brought out a plate of roast venison, with a mint sauce to garnish. Dean sat down at the table, watching Selene expectantly as she brought out another plate.

Dean's face fell as she took her own spot at the table and began eating, completely ignoring his presence. Selene battled her own conscious internally. She knew Dean hadn't meant to bite her head off. At least, not the first time. Sam had explained that his brother was often rash, but he also rarely ever apologised. He had been truly sorry, but the words were just so foreign to him, he wasn't able to put the emotion behind it, and if truth be told, she hadn't exactly made it easy for him either. She threw his words back in his face, so she could understand why he was bitter, but her pride refused to back down.

Sam smiled internally at Dean's reaction. In truth, Selene had actually cooked for the three of them, despite his brother's attitude. Still, Sam preferred to watch his brother squirm a little longer.

"If you're hungry," Selene bit out, "The kitchen's that way." Sam had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing at Dean's crestfallen face. Sam sighed heavily, finally taking pity on his brother. "There's another plate in the kitchen," he told his brother. Dean instantly raced over to the kitchen to retrieve his dinner.

"I left the carcass in a clearing near here," Selene told the brothers, though she face Sam, "The fresh blood should draw the demon's attention. Eat quickly, we should aim to be in position before night sets in completely." Sam glanced over at Dean, who suddenly stopped inhaling his food. "What makes you think a man-eating demon will find a deer carcass of any interest?" Dean asked. Selene smiled knowingly. Damn Dean hated that smile, made him feel infuriatingly inferior. "That carcass is a fresh kill," she told him, "Lots of blood, and more importantly, organs. In a few hours, that smell would've reached the nose of whatever is patrolling the area. Demons, especially lower-class demons, are complete opportunists. If they don't have to kill for a meal, they won't. Trust me, that demon will come."

Selene led the brothers to the clearing, taking up a position on one side of the clearing, obscured from sight by heavy brush. They could watch here without the demon spotting them. "Wait a minute," Dean spoke up, "Shouldn't we be on the other side of the clearing. You've positioned us directly upwind from that pile of rotting meat." Selene sighed and shook her head. "Normally we would stay downwind from the demon," she whispered curtly, "But you forgot one very important fact. The trap we set is scent related. If we stay downwind, we will be in the direct path of the demon when it comes to feed. Upwind isn't the best position, but the carcass should overpower our own scents. Now just sit tight and shut up." Dean settled back down to wait the demon out.

Just as they were about to give up, Selene's ears caught the faint sound of leaves cracking underfoot. She snorted inwardly, 'Stupid, complacent beast,' she thought, 'Didn't even think to cover its own sound.' Nudging the brothers gently, she pointed to the far side of the clearing, where two eyes gleamed in the dark just beyond the trees. There was a faint whooshing noise, and the carcass was suddenly pulled out of the clearing. The eyes then glinted back towards the trio.

"Shit," Selene whispered just loud enough for the two boys to here, "It knows we're here. You two head back to the motel, I'll hold it off. Hopefully I can make it think I'm just challenging it for the meal. Now go." She gave them a gentle push, forcing them to start moving. Violet eyes followed them until they were out of sight, before she spun back to face the demon. A feral rumbling resonated from the depths of her throat as she charged across the clearing, murderously sharp claws extending from her delicate fingers.

Dean paced the living area, although he would never admit it, he was worried about Selene. 'I shouldn't have left her out there,' he thought bitterly, 'I should've fought too, not run away like a scared puppy.' Sam shook his head, though his brother would deny it, Dean actually cared about the little demon, he just wasn't the best with words. Dean tried his best, but the words just always came out wrong, landing him in far more trouble then if he'd just kept his mouth shut. Glancing at the door one last time, Dean grabbed his jacket, gun and a torch before heading for the door. 'That's it,' he thought, 'I'm going to find her and bring her back.'

Dean opened the door, only to have a warm weight drop into his waiting arms. He'd momentarily seen Selene's face, a nasty scratch adorning one cheek, before her eyes fluttered closed and she fell into him. Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her into the bedroom, laying her gently down on his own bed before grabbing the First Aid Kit.

Sam smiled gently as his brother covered Selene with a sheet to preserve her modesty before gently removing her clothes. Dean's fingers deftly dressed a few large gashes, they weren't bad, but they'd been left untreated for so long that she'd lost a decent amount of blood. Once finished, the young hunter reached into his bag, pulling out a shirt and boxers. Reaching under the sheet once more, he re-dressed the girl.

Sam handed him a bowl of water and a cloth. Pulling down the sheet, Dean gently scrubbed her skin clean of any blood. When he reached her hands, he almost dropped them in shock. Her deadly claws were still out, each one soaked in blood, but not her own. Dean smiled grimly, whatever had given her these wounds was sure to be in just as bad a condition, if not worse. Running his fingers softly over her now-clean hands, Dean gasped slightly when he saw her claws retract, before giving her still form a proper smile. He was pleased she recognised him as 'safe' enough to relax around, even if she did bite his head off.

Finished treating her wounds, Dean gently tucked the covers around her. Blood-loss had made her body go into shock. Sam crawled into the spare bed, knowing Dean wouldn't sleep that night anyway, soon drifting off. Dean stayed awake the whole night, monitoring the unconscious demon the whole time. He finally slipped into a light slumber during the grey hours of the dawn, blanket drawn around his slumped form as he fell asleep in an armchair facing the bed.

Sam awoke to the smell of freshly cooked bacon, eggs and left-over venison re-heated. Glancing over, he watched as Dean placed a tray of food on the bedside table beside Selene's resting form. He left momentarily, returning with a glass of fresh orange juice and cutlery, before stalking back out to the living area. Smiling softly to himself, Sam slowly crawled out from under the covers, grabbing his clothes, before moving off to the bathroom to get dressed.

Once dressed, Sam walked out to join his brother. Dean glanced up from his breakfast, nodding once in the direction of the kitchen, before continuing to eat. Sam found his own breakfast already waiting for him. Sitting down beside his brother, Sam tucked into his meal in comfortable silence.

Sam broke the quiet first. "That was a really nice of you," Sam told his brother. Dean eyed his brother wearily. "Yeah," he muttered darkly, "Just don't go thinking I meant anything by it. I said she could stay, for now, but that doesn't mean I like her. She's still just another demon, it's not my fault you like to pick up strays. I just felt guilty, that's all. She fought for us, and we ran. I don't like running, and right now, I feel like a coward."

Sam was about to console his brother when a soft voice sounded behind them. "You're not a coward," Selene told him, walking slowly and purposefully to stand before the brothers, "I told you to run because it was tactically sound. I made the demon think I was only there because of the meat, if it had seen the two of you, it would've known it was being hunted. Then you would no longer be the hunters, but the hunted. We don't want our prey to know what we're doing. We want to remain the hunters, with it none the wiser. Tactically, we did the most logical thing.

"While we're on the topic, here," she handed the brothers a few silver threads, "This is the reason why we never saw the demon enter the clearing. Spider Silk. We're dealing with a Black Widow. Which is both good and bad. Spider demons aren't known for their maternal natures, so any spawn would've been eaten by now. Therefore we can rule out any other demons in the area, but that's where the good news ends.

"We can guess that she's been taking at least one young male once a year to mate, he'd die soon after she knew she was pregnant, but the other disappearances would be to build her strength before she lay her eggs. If we check the records of when people went missing, most should be around Spring. Mating Season. The others would be about once a month, if that.

"There's also the fact that we'd have to find her lair. This will be the most difficult part. Although I should be able to lead us there by scent alone, that silk will be much thicker the closer we get. If you touch a single strand, you could find yourself her next victim, or missing a part of your body."

Sam nodded. "So what do you think we should do?" cutting his brother off. Dean sent him a glare, HE was in charge of the hunts, not Selene. "What?" Sam asked his brother, "She's a demon herself. If anyone would know how to approach this, it's her." Dean sighed and settled back down. Sam was right, she'd already given them more information in one day then they would find in a week. "Follow me," she told them, "Step exactly where I step, move exactly where I move, but before we go hunting, there's somewhere I need to go."

The brothers soon found themselves standing in the middle of a field. Selene scanned the site briefly before striding over to one spot. Kicking away at the grass, she slowly uncovered a large wooden door. Bending down, Dean pulled her away. "You'll re-open your wounds you stupid demon," he told her gruffly. Selene lifted her shirt, exposing a few red, angry looking scratches, but her wounds had completely closed over. "I'm a demon," she told him, "My body is very different to yours. One of the gifts of our blood is the ability to heal faster then humans." Stepping back to the wooden door, she gave it a mighty wrench, revealing the room beneath.

Sam and Dean followed her down the wooden steps, eyes taking in the trove of weapons lining the walls. "This was my father's," she told them, "This entire area used to be his. They burnt our house down, but this was our secret. A place to store all our weapons, tricks and herbs." The herbs were no longer existent, but the jars of their creations had been spelled to preserve their contents. Opening one jar, Selene extracted a handful of balls. "Here," she said, handing the balls to Sam, "These will melt Spider Silk. Only use them if you need to. And these," she said, pulling down two, floor-length coats, "Should protect you from the worst of her web. Feel free to take any of the weapons you see on display." Sam and Dean glanced at each other momentarily, both knowing that they wouldn't know how to use them, and they preferred their guns.

The brothers waited patiently above ground for Selene to join them. The demon soon exited the small store house, clad in her original clothing. Her long black hair had been pulled back into a bun, held in place with a silver, Celtic looking star, exposing her elvan ears. A glaive firmly in one hand, long bow in the other, a quiver slung over one shoulder. With a curt nod, she walked purposefully towards the clearing they had occupied the night before. Checking their weapons, the brothers followed after her.

They walked for an hour, almost giving up hope, before Sam saw a glint of silver. Moving to check, he saw it was Spider Silk. "We're getting close," Selene whispered, "Keep your eyes open. When we find her, I want you both to stay hidden." Dean made a move to protest. "This is my home," She continued, "And I will not tolerate another demon in my territory."

Following the web-like stands, both brothers noticed it was getting harder and harder to find space in between the threads to walk. Sighing, Selene thrust the butt of her glaive into the earth. Pulling out a small jar, she slid the tip of an arrow into the clear liquid. Slipping the small jar back, she notched the arrow. Sighting her target, Selene loosed the arrow, watching it's progress as it flew through the webbing, before making it's mark in a tree with a soft thud. All strands of Spider Silk it had touched, suddenly began to bubble and melt, clearing a path for the trio.

Three more arrows brought them to a large clearing, Spider Silk leaving a silvery layer around the trees and ground, enclosing the entire area. Leaving her bow and quiver, Selene strode to the centre of the webbed area. A faint whoosh was all the warning Selene had before a web hit the ground she'd just been standing on. Pivoting out of a back flip, Selene landed softly, violet eyes burning with a flame the brothers had never seen.

Another demon slowly made her decent into the enclosure on webs originating from the palms of her hands. "So," the new demon clicked out, "You came back for more? Stupid child." Silver hair whipped around as the demon charged at Selene. Selene brought her glaive around, pivoting her body, as she swept the weapon in a full circle. The demon screeched, a new wound opening down her back.

Dean was pleased to find that his assumption had been correct. Selene had given her a lot worse then she had received, but unlike Selene, this demon didn't have anyone to treat her wounds. After a few more charges, the demon shrieked her displeasure, while two more pairs of limbs grew out of her body. Two fangs grew down past her bottom lip, as her back elongated to accommodate the extra limbs.

Selene answered the challenge by extending her claws, standing ready for the next attack. The spider demon sent stream after stream of webbing at Selene, from each of her four hands. All Selene could do was dodge, the webbing making it difficult to get closer to the demon.

"Hey," Sam whispered to his brother, "What do you think would happen if we hit her palms with these pellets?" Offering the tiny web-dissolving balls Selene had given him earlier. Dean shrugged nonchalantly. "Only one way to find out," he replied, grabbing half of the pellets for himself, "Now what do you say we stop playing 'chicken' and join the party?" Sam nodded his consent.

Loading their guns with the tiny balls, the brothers strode out into the enclosed clearing. "I'll take the right," Dean told his brother, "You take the left." Just as they shifted into place, the demon cackled with glee. Dodging one set of webbing, Selene hadn't seen the other, and her arms were now pinned to her side. Another jet of Spider Silk, and Selene was lifted of the ground, preventing her from leaping away. Selene gave a small groan of pain. The web was slicing into her. Dean winced as he saw drops of blood fall to the ground to pool beneath Selene.

"Selene!" Both boys cried, searching for a way to release her. "My, my, my," the demon clicked out, catching sight of the brothers, "You boys look good enough to eat." Thrusting out two palms, the boys soon found themselves tied up like Selene.

A rumbling began to resonate deeply in Selene's chest. Opening her eyes, the boys saw a fire burning within those violet depths. A feral roar, reminiscent of a panther ripped from Selene's throat as the webbing around her suddenly broke. Rushing toward the spider, she managed to hack off two arms before the demon knew what had hit her.

As the limbs fell to the ground, the bindings on the brothers loosened, unravelling completely. Raising their guns, they began to shoot. A piercing screech filled the air as two bullets hit their mark. The Spider Silk streaming from both hands weren't the only things that began dissolving, the demon's hands themselves bubbled furiously before melting away entirely. Emptying the clear liquid from her jar over the blade of her glaive, Selene lunged forward, slicing with her weapon, sweeping the demon's head clean off.

As the demon's body slowly dissolved away, so did the threads of Spider Silk littering the clearing, uncovering a large bundle of mucus-covered sacks, dangling from the branches of three large trees. "That better not be what I think they are," Dean told the two before him. "What do you think they are?" Sam inquired, staring at the silvery lumps while trying not to smell the foul odour emanating from them. "They look like egg sacks," Dean replied.

Selene nodded silently, answering Dean's statement. "We're going to need to build a fire," She told them, "Burn them before they hatch." Dean nodded, leaving the clearing. Muttering darkly about men and lack of chivalry, Selene began to build up piles of dry wood beneath each tree. Sam helped her drag as much lumber as he could, when Dean arrived back on the scene, a large container in each hand.

Accepting one, Sam grinned before both began dumping the contents all over the eggs. Sniffing the liquid carefully, Selene began to sneeze. "What is that?" she inquired, protecting her delicate nose from the stench. "Gasoline," Dean replied, adding the container to the pile, "Watch and learn princess." Stepping back, he flicked a lit match at the eggs, which instantly caught fire.

As they stood back to watch the blaze, Sam suddenly turned to Selene. "These clothes protected us from the Spider Silk, didn't they?" Sam asked, "That's why you were hurt and we weren't. We had your coats." Selene nodded, smiling softly. "Yes," she replied, "Those coats were made for protection. Unfortunately, I think the Spider Silk may have been the last thread for these. I doubt they'd stand up to any more abuse. They are over two hundred years old after all."

Sam nodded, Dean however turned to gaze inquiringly into her eyes. "What are you?" he asked, "I know enough about demons to understand that not all demons have the same abilities. I've seen you claws, you just proved to be agile, swift, and able to jump great heights. I also distinctly remember hearing a feline roar. So what are you?"

Selene smirked. "I'm impressed," she retorted, "I hadn't thought you'd pick up on those for at least a week. I'm a cat demon. I have, as you've mentioned, retractable claws, the ability to leap to great heights. I do roar, on occasion, I have perfect balance. I always land on my feet. My canine teeth are also longer and sharper then normal. I also have perfect night-sight."

"Well," Dean sighed as the last embers slowly began to die, "I guess it's time to move on Sam. Let's get our stuff packed. Selene, it was nice knowing you." The brothers began to walk back towards the motel when Selene caught up to them. "Oh no you don't," She shouted, "I'm coming with you. My father fought to protect people from demons, and I intend to continue on his legacy. Besides, someone needs to prevent you two from getting into too much trouble. So I guess you're stuck with me. So, where to now?" Sam laughed, slinging his arm around the happy demon's shoulders. "Where ever we're needed," he told her, "Welcome to the team." Dean allowed the ghosting of a smile to grace his lips. What ever happened, with Selene around, it was bound to be an education.

I hope you enjoyed the story so far...I just loved Dean's entrance..Such a smart ass...but that's why we love him.

Please review, your words make me a better writer. (I have a folder I set aside specifically for reviews)

May your thoughts and creativity flow,

Lady Ami DragonHeart


	4. Scarecrows and Naked Kitties

Okay, from now on, it follows the TV Series, but with some significant changes. I hope you enjoy.

Dean smirked, burrowing deeper under the covers. He could smell the heavenly aroma of Selene's cooking, but he also knew that if he stayed in bed long enough, she would bring it to him. Sam shook his head at Dean's childish ways. He knew very well that his brother just loved to play for Selene's attention, but then, he played for every girl's attention.

The young demon had been with them for over a month now, and while she was friendly enough with Dean, it was still Sam she felt closest to. Dean and Selene still fought, daily in fact, but Sam knew she'd weaselled her way into his heart. Now that Dean considered Selene a friend, not that he'd admit to it, Sam knew his brother would fight for her if needed.

Selene stalked into the room, balancing a tray of food and drinks. Sam sat up, greeting the cheery girl with a big, cheesy grin. Selene grinned back, placing Sam's breakfast on the bedside table beside him. Moving over to Dean, she placed his breakfast on his bedside table. Shaking her head slightly at his antics, she reached one hand out to rub the fleshy part of his ear.

"Oh yeah," Dean moaned at her touch, "Come to daddy." Rolling her eyes, Selene flicked his nose sharply. "Ow," Dean cried, sitting up immediately, "Damn that hurt." Selene sighed before exiting the room, unlike the brothers, she actually worked around the place, doing odd jobs. Sometimes she was a waitress at the local diner, others she worked at the local grocery store.

Dean groaned appreciatively as he watched the provocative sway of her hips as she walked out of the room, slowly leaning forward to follow her movements past the door. He was suddenly attacked by a pillow smacking into his head. "Damn it Dean," Sam muttered between bites, "Could you not check out everything with breasts? She's a friend for god's sake." Dean smirked. "Even better," he chuckled, "I always wanted a friend with benefits." Sam sighed heavily, resigning himself to finishing his breakfast.

Selene returned home to find both boys battling it out on the Xbox. There hadn't been any unexplained deaths or disappearances for a while, and she knew they had both earned a little relaxation. Moving into the kitchen, Selene began to prepare that night's dinner. Both brothers were hopeless in the kitchen. In fact, their idea of cooking was to heat up frozen meals. Seeing this, Selene had taken up the title of resident chef, making sure they had three proper meals a day. While she was there to cook both breakfast and dinner, Selene also made sure to prepare a lunch that could be re-heated at will.

The scents wafting from the kitchen were enough to make both brothers stop playing immediately and race over to the dining table. Selene chuckled softly to herself, laying the final touches on her masterpiece. Setting the table, the demon returned to the kitchen to grab the roast pork, with crackling, and her specialty, rosewater meringue cups, stuffed with mixed berries. Laying the carving knife down beside Dean, she took her place at the table, waiting for Dean to serve the meat before all three dug in.

Dean and Sam dressed silently for bed, both feeling satiated. Glancing out the window, Dean felt a slight twinge of discomfort. Seated in the branches of a tree just outside their window, was Selene. They had offered her a bed, but she refused, preferring to sleep outside. She'd told them that she liked to gaze at the stars, but Dean had the feeling it was more then that.

Dean wished she would come inside to sleep, it could get pretty cold during the night, but that didn't seem to phase her. Either she didn't feel the cold, or she didn't care. Dean sighed, he'd given up trying to tempt her inside.

Selene' violet eyes scanned the skies, when her demonic ears picked up the faint sound of Dean's phone ringing. "Dean," Sam grunted, trying to block out the sound of his brother's phone. Giving up on sleep, he reached over to answer the phone. "Hello?" he asked sleepily.

'Sam, is that you?' the voice on the other end spoke. Sam was immediately jolted from sleep. "Dad," he asked worriedly, "Are you hurt?"

'I'm fine,' came the response. Sam sighed slightly with relief. Selene leapt over to the window, balancing on the window sill as she opened the window. "We've been looking for you everywhere," Sam replied, "We didn't know where you were, if you were okay."

'Sammy, I'm alright. What about you and Dean?' the voice cut Sam off. Selene slipped into the room, noticing Dean's waking form. "We're fine," Sam assured, "Dad, where are you?" Dean sat up immediately at the mention of his father. 'Sorry kiddo, can't tell you that.' Selene watched Sam becoming more and more exasperated. "What?" he questioned, "Why not?" Dean stared at his brother. "Is that dad?" he asked, becoming more alert with every moment.

'Look, I know this is hard for you to understand. You're just gonna have to trust me on this.' came the response. "You're after it aren't you," Sam asked, "The thing that killed mum."

'Yeah. It's a demon, Sam.' the voice on the other end of the phone told Sam. "A demon?" Sam repeated, "You know for sure?" Selene eyed the boys with new reverence. She knew their mother had died, but never what had caused her death. For them to accept her, after another demon had murdered their own mother, spoke volumes of the brothers' compassion. At least now she knew why Dean had been so hostile when they first met. "A demon?" Dean asked, startling Selene out of her train of thought, "What's he saying?"

'I do. Listen, Sammy, I, uh…I also know what happened to your girlfriend. I'm so sorry. I would've done anything to protect you from that.' Came the voice. Sam's breath caught in his throat. "You know where it is?" he asked, heart pounding as he waited for the response. 'Yeah, I think I'm finally closing in on it.'

"Let us help," Sam told his father, "We have Selene now. She's helped us out of some tight spots, maybe she could help us beat this thing. She's a really great girl, and I think you'd really like her, and she's magic in the kitchen." Sam smiled over at the demon. It was true, Sam knew that with her help, they could find this demon much faster. 'You can't. You can't be any part of it, and I refuse to let you bring your new girlfriend come along for the ride. Did you forget about Jessica so quickly?'

"She's not my girlfriend," Sam told his father, "She knows what she's doing, and she's a mean hand with a blade, so why not? Why won't you let us join you?" Dean stood up from the bed. "Give me the phone," he demanded. He knew Sam would fight his father all the way on this, and he didn't like the assumptions his father seemed to be making about Selene. 'Why would she be with Sam anyway?' Dean thought, 'Jeez dad, we both know I'm the more likely candidate.'

'Listen, Sammy, that's why I'm calling. You and your brother, you gotta stop looking for me. Alright, now, I need you to write down these names.' His father's voice sounded down the phone line once more. "Names? What names?" Sam asked, "Dad, talk to me, tell me what's going on."

'Look, we don't have time for this. This is bigger than you think, they're everywhere. Even us talking right now, it's not safe.' His father told him, urging Sam to stop fighting and just listen. "No. Alright?" Sam yelled down the phone, "No way." Selene sighed, this conversation was getting no where fast. "Give me the phone," Dean demanded once more, a little more forcefully this time. 'I have given you an order. Now, you stop following me, and you do your job. You understand me? Now, take down these names.' Sam's father spoke once more. Dean pulled the phone out of his brother's hands. "Dad, it's me," He told his father, "Where are you…Yes sir…Uh, yeah, I got a pen. What are their names?"

Selene soon found herself seated in the backseat of Dean's car, driving down the highway. Sam had the steering wheel, while Dean rested. "Alright," Sam spoke, "So the names Dad gave us, they're all couples?" Dean nodded to his brother. "Three different couples," he replied, "All went missing." Sam nodded, digesting the information. "And they're all from different towns?" he asked, "Different states?" Dean nodded once more. "That's right," he replied, "You got Washington, New York, Colorado. Each couple took a road trip cross-country. None of them arrived at their destination, and none of them were ever heard from again." Sam sighed, this information was getting them nowhere, except further away from Dad. "Well," he replied, "It's a big country Dean. They could've disappeared anywhere." Dean shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Yeah," he replied, "Could've. But each one's route took 'em to the same part of Indiana. Always on the second week of April. One year after another" Sam gave his brother an inquiring glance. "This is the second week of April," he stated, knowing where his brother was taking this. "Yep," came the reply. Selene smiled to herself. It was about time she got to flex her claws.

"So," Sam replied, "Dad is sending us to Indiana to go hunting for something before another couple vanishes?" Dean smirked at his brother. Trust Sam to like to have all the facts. "Yahtzee," Dean exclaimed, "Can you imagine putting together a pattern like this? All the different obits Dad had to go through? The man's a master." Sam suddenly pulled over to the side of the road. "What are you doing?" Dean asked. Selene began to feel the tension in the air.

"We're not going to Indiana," Sam declared, his mind set. "We're not?" Dean asked, looking worriedly at his brother. "No," Sam told him, "We're going to California. Dad called from a payphone. Sacramento area code." Selene shook her head at Sam's folly. Did he honestly think Dean would submit to that? "Sam," Dean started, only to have Sam cut him off. "Dean," Sam reasoned, "If this demon killed Mum and Jess, and Dad's closing in, we've gotta be there. We've gotta help." Dean shook his head at his brother. "Dad doesn't want our help," He explained.

"I don't care," Sam bit out. Selene could feel the tension slowly building. This was a fight neither would win. Both were far too stubborn. "He's given us an order," Dean told his brother through clenched teeth. "I don't care," Came Sam's casual reply, "We don't always have to do what he says."

"Sam," Dean bit back, "Dad is asking us to work jobs, to save lives, it's important." "Alright," Sam sighed, "I understand, believe me, I understand. But I'm talking one week here, man, to get answers. To get revenge." Selene shook her head. This was going no where fast, and all Selene was getting was a massive headache. If only they weren't so loud about it. Her sensitive hearing was making their voices pound her eardrum with painful force.

"Alright," Dean tried to reason, "Look, I know how you feel." Sam's head snapped around to face his brother. "Do you?" Sam spat with a hint of venom, "How old were you when Mom died? Four? Jess died six months ago. How the hell would you know how I feel?"

Dean was shocked by his brother's outburst, but held firm to his own argument. "Dad said it wasn't safe," he explained, "For any of us. I mean, he obviously knows something that we don't, so if he says to stay away, we stay away." Sam shook his head mockingly. How could his brother trust a man who wasn't even there for them? "I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man," Sam snapped back, "I mean, it's like you don't even question him."

"Yeah," Dean yelled, "It's called being a good son!" That was it. Sam had had enough. Sam threw the car door open, popping the trunk on his way. Reaching the boot, he began to unload all of his own belongings. "You're a selfish bastard, you know that?" Dean spat at his brother, getting out of the car himself. "You just do whatever you want. Don't care what anybody thinks." Not to be left in the car, Selene jumped out too, glancing backwards and forwards between the brothers.

"That's what you really think?" Sam asked, silently wishing his brother would stop taking orders from their father for once. "Yes, it is," Dean bit back, hoping his brother would try to understand things from their father's perspective. He knew his brother had a point, but he also knew their father never said anything without a reason behind it. There must be something about this demon that they didn't know about yet.

"Well," Sam quipped, "Then this selfish bastard is going to California. Selene, What about you? You coming to help me find Dad? Or are you going to stay with the 'good son' and go to Indiana?"

"Come on," Dean cried, "You're not serious." Silently praying Selene would join him. Not only would he love to get to know the little demon on a more 'personal level', but her getting back in the car would most likely get Sam to jump back in. Sam was fond of her, always looked out for her. Dean knew he wouldn't part with her so easily. "I am serious," Sam replied.

Selene glanced between the two of them. She liked Dean, and she knew he took demon hunting seriously. She could see the man he would become. The warrior raging inside his heart. She could see the same in Sam, his was just a little shyer. Dean was a pillar of strength, and while Sam could be just as strong when pushed, he was a more nervous of the two. But for all that, Selene knew that they were at their strongest when they were together.

Reaching a conclusion, Selene moved to the car. "I'm sorry Dean," she told him, extracting her own items from the trunk of the car, "But I lost my father, and if going to California is what it takes to stop that from happening to you two as well, then that's what I'll do." She offered Dean a sad smile, confident in her decision. Sam's soul was calling out for a travelling companion. He wasn't ready to face this evil alone. Dean was tougher then that. She knew he'd be fine on his own.

Selene turned to see Sam beginning to walk off. Turning back to Dean she held out her hand. "Here," she told him, "Take this. Just promise me you'll wear it." Dean felt something sharp touch his palm. It was a fang, tied to a thin leather cord. Looking up, he saw Selene trying to catch up to Sam.

"It's the middle of the night!" Dean yelled after their silhouettes, "Hey, I'm taking off, I will leave your ass, you hear me?" Sam stopped walking and turned to face his brother. "That's what I want you to do," He replied, staring at his brother while Selene caught up to him. "Goodbye, Sam," Dean called back, closing the trunk and getting back into his car, before speeding away toward Indiana.

Sam watched the car, and his brother, race into the distance. "Come on Selene," Sam said, offering his hand to the girl, "Let's find my father." Selene nodded slightly, getting a slight prickling up her neck. She suddenly had a feeling that this parting of ways was just the beginning of something. Somehow, she got the feeling that the next time they saw Dean wouldn't not be a joyous occasion.

Dean drove into a small town in Indiana, known as Burkitsville. Pulling over to the side of the road, he whipped out his cell phone. He'd been really harsh to Sam, and he wanted to know that his little brother was alright.

Selecting Sam's number, his finger froze over the call button. What was he thinking? Sam had Selene with him. If his brother was in trouble, she'd definitely know how to help him out. Still, he did want to know how they were. His pride got the better of him and Dean closed his phone and stepped out of the car. It was time to get to work.

Dean walked up to 'Scotty's Cafe to see a man sitting in a chair on the porch. "Let me guess," Dean asked, gesturing to the sign while pointing at the man, "Scotty?" The man looked up at the sign before acknowledging him. "Yep," he replied.

Dean gave him what he hoped was a charming smile. 'Damn,' he thought to himself, 'Sam's so much better at the sincerities.' "Hi," Dean offered, "My name's John Bonham." Scotty looked at him strangely. "Isn't that the drummer for Led Zeppelin?" he inquired. Dean did a double take, shocked by the man's knowledge. "Wow," he replied, "Good. Classic rock fan." 'Damn it,' he thought, 'I should've used a different alias, but who knew a country hick would be a fan?'

Scotty ignored Dean's comment, growing more suspicious of his with every second. "What can I do for you John?" he asked. Dean pulled out two pieces of paper from his pocket. Both were missing person's reports on the most recent victims. "I was wondering if, uh, you'd seen these people by any chance," Dean asked him, letting Scotty see the forms.

"Nope," he replied, "Who are they?" Dean sighed internally, he knew this conversation would get him no where. "Friends of mine," he replied, "They went missing about a year ago. They passed through somewhere around here and I've already asked around Scottsburg and Salem-" Scotty handed the forms back to Dean. "Sorry," he replied, "We don't get many strangers around here." Dean nodded slowly. Looking at his dead-pan, serious face Dean just couldn't help himself. "Scotty," he said, "You've got a smile that lights up a room, anybody ever tell you that?" Dean chuckled when he saw Scotty staring at him strangely. "Never mind," Dean continued, walking away, "See you around."

Sam and Selene were walking down the side of the road, talking about whatever came to mind, when Selene suddenly stopped. "Do you smell that?" she asked Sam, who shook his head. Selene smiled softly. "It's fresh mint," she told him, "There's some wild mint growing just past that line of trees." Turning to Sam she gave him a dose of her 'puppy eyes'. "Do you mind if I gather some herb?" she asked, "You can continue on, but I'd like to have a store of herbs so I can mix up some healing poultices." Sam sighed, she knew he couldn't win against the puppy eyes. "What if I walk to far ahead?" he asked, "Or if I manage to score a lift?" Selene smiled once more. "I'm a demon," she told him, "I'm sure I can catch up to a car." She waited until Sam began to walk on down the road before entering the trees.

Walking down the road, Sam spotted a small figure on the side of the road. Stepping closer he saw a young girl with short blonde hair, sitting with her back to him. "Hey," Sam called out, trying to gain her attention. Standing behind her, Sam gently placed his hand on her shoulders. She jumps, pulling out her headphones as she spins to face him. "You scared the hell outta me," she told him.

"I'm sorry," Sam told her, smiling sheepishly, "I thought you might need some help." The blonde stared up at him. "No, I'm good," she replied, "Thanks." Not to be put off with her independent attitude, Sam continued. "Uh, so where you headed?" he asked, trying to break down her barriers. "No offence," she replied, "But no way I'm telling you."

Sam was taken aback. "Why not?" he asked, wandering what she had against him. The blonde looked up at him. "You could be some kind of freak," she replied, like it was well-known, common sense, "I mean, you are hitchhiking." Sam gave her a quizzical look, before shrugging it off. "Well," he reasoned, "So are you." She laughed heartily until a van honked its horn while pulling over.

"Need a ride?" the driver asked. Remembering what Selene told him about catching up, Sam replied with a 'Yeah,' at the same time the girl beside him did. "Just her," the driver called out, "I ain't takin' you." The girl hurriedly gathered her things before hopping into the passenger side of the van. "So you trust shady van guy and not me?" Sam asked incredulously. Taking a glance over at the driver, she turned back. "Definitely," she told him, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Sam stood, watching them drive away when something grabbed his shoulder. "What the...?" Sam cried out, spinning to face Selene, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Wow," she replied, "Someone's a wound a little too tightly. You should relax a little, calm those nerves." Sam chuckled, he couldn't stay mad at the bubbly demon before him. "Shall we continue?" she asked, indicating to the road with an inclination of her head. "Ladies first," Sam replied.

Dean sighed to himself. He'd been wandering around the town trying to find some information on the most recent victims. You'd think that, considering they didn't receive many outsiders, that these people would practically jump at the chance to find out something from other places.

He was now inside Jorgeson General Store, trying to find out if the couple before him had seen them either. With the fact that they didn't have visitors from other places that frequently, you'd think someone in the town might actually remember them.

"You sure they didn't stop for gas or something?" Dean asked, flashing the forms to the couple. "Nope," he replied, "Don't remember 'em. You said they were friends of yours?" Dean sighed, this was getting no where fast. "That's right," Dean confirmed. A young girl came down the stairs, with an armful of boxes.

"Did the guy have a tattoo?" she inquired, walking over to where Dean was standing. Dean gave her his trademark smirk. "Yes, he did," he told her. 'Finally,' he thought, 'I might actually be getting somewhere.'

Emily placed the boxes down on the counter, before turning back to Dean. Glancing at the picture, she turned to face the couple. "You remember?" she asked, "They were just married." The man came back over, taking another glance at the picture staring up at him. "You're right," he replied, "They did stop for gas. Weren't here more then ten minutes." Dean nodded. "You remember anything else?" he asked, desperately hoping for some small morsal of information. "I told 'em how to get back to the Interstate," he told Dean, "They left town." 'Yes,' Dean congratulated himself, 'This was the information he was looking for.' "Could you point me in that same direction?" He asked eagerly. The man nodded. "Sure," he replied.

Driving down by an orchard, Dean suddenly heard a noise emanating from the back seat. "What the hell?" he asked. Pulling over, he reached over the seat and began to fumble through his bag. His fingers finally closing around the Electro-Magnetic Frequency meter, which was now beeping urgently. 'Looks like this is the spot,' Dean thought, 'Time to do some work.'

Walking through the orchard, Dean's gaze is drawn to a scarecrow tied to its post. Striding over to the wooden pole, he stares at the hideous form on the post. "Dude," Dean told the scarecrow, "You fugly." Staring at its motionless form, he noticed a sickle in place of a right hand, and a design slightly higher up.

Taking a quick glance around at his surroundings, Dean spotted a ladder against a nearby tree. Moving it over to the deformed spectre, he climbed up the rungs, bringing himself eye to eye with the scarecrow. Reaching out his hand, Dean moved the clothing on the scarecrow's right arm, to reveal a design. Pulling out his Missing Person's report, he compared the picture of the male victim to the scarecrow. The designs were a perfect match. Taking one last look at the scarecrow, Dean smirked at the scarecrow's head. "Nice tat," he quipped.

Pulling into the Burkitsville gas station, Dean jumped out of his car. Looking up, he noticed the young girl from before, standing by the gas pumps. "You're back," she exclaimed, giving him a warm smile. "Never left," he replied, with a smile of his own. 'Still got it,' Dean thought to himself. "Still looking for your friends?" she asked, not taking her eyes off him. Dean nodded slowly, eyes taking in the name on her necklace.

"You mind fillin' her up there Emily?" he asked. Emily immediately leapt up, grabbing a pump and begins to fill the car up. "So," Dean asked, trying to break the silence, "You grew up here?" Emily glanced up from her work, and shook her head at Dean. "I came here when I was thirteen," she replied, "I lost my parents. Car accident. My aunt and uncle took me in."

Dean nodded interestedly. "They're nice people," he remarked casually. Emily smiled once more. "Everybody's nice here," she replied, returning her focus to the task at hand. "So, what," Dean asked, "It's the, uh, perfect little town?" This earned him a slight smile from her. "Well," she began, "You know, it's the boonies. But I love it. I mean, the towns around us, people are losing their homes, their farms. But here, it's almost like we're blessed."

Nodding, Dean's brain suddenly lit up with an idea. "Hey," he asked conspiratorially, "You been out to the orchard? You seen that scarecrow?" He watched as the girl shuddered involuntarily. "Yeah," she replied, "It creeps me out." Dean chuckled. 'Oh yeah,' he thought, 'I know that feeling.' "Whose is it?" he asked. Emily shrugged slightly. "I don't know," she replied, "It's just always been there."

Dean inclined his head towards a red van parked outside the garage. "That your aunt and uncle's?" he asked conversationally, making it look like he was checking the car out. Emily shook her head. "Customer," she replied, "Had some car troubles." Dean regarded her for a moment. "It's not a couple, is it?" he asked, "A guy and a girl?" Emily nodded her head once more, confirming Dean's prediction.

Sam and Selene continued to walk along the roadside. Selene felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Her instincts picked up on an aura in the area. As they neared a bus station, she felt the aura grow steadily stronger. While she was more then happy to let the feeling slide and continue into the place like nothing was wrong, her instincts were clambering at her that the aura held demonic origins.

Tapping Sam on the shoulder, Selene cleared her throat. "Hey," she told him, "I'm just going to go find a bathroom. Would you mind looking after my belongings?" Sam smiled at the demon. "Sure," he told her, "I don't mind at all." Selene smiled warmly at him, before remembering something else. "I was thinking," she began, "I should really try to work on my people skills, so I'm going to talk to some of the people in the area." Sam smiled at her once more. "Take your time," he told her, knowing that any chance she could use now to further integrate herself into today's society would benefit the team later. "If I'm not back in time for the bus," she told him, "Just go without me. I know how much your father means to you, and I can always catch up."

Selene watched Sam nod his agreement before he continued into the bus station. Quickly ducking out of sight, she began to transform herself. It was something her father had taught her during his instructions. If you were caught in enemy territory and unable to fight, make your own demonic aura as small as possible to hide from your enemies. The only way to make your aura smaller was to make yourself smaller too. Concentrating on her goal, she felt herself shrink. Moments later, a black kitten crept around the corner, violet eyes shining with intelligence.

Selene slinked into the bus station in time to witness the clerk speaking to Sam. "Sorry, the Sacramento bus doesn't run again till tomorrow," she told him. Checking the schedule she continued, "Uh, 5:05PM." Sam sighed, frustrated with yet another delay. He needed to get to Dad now. "Tomorrow?" Sam asked, "There's got to be another way." The clerk, sick of his attitude replied, "There is. Buy a car."

Sam stormed away from the ticket window, pulling out his phone and selecting Dean's number. Selene hissed softly at the clerk to show her displeasure, not like the clerk could see her anyway, before trotting off after Sam. A blonde sitting on the floor suddenly looked up.

"Hey!" she cried out. Sam looked up from his phone to glance at the girl. Turning of his phone, he walked over to the girl. "Hey," he replied, smiling warmly. Selene watched cautiously, how did Sam know this girl? "You again," the blonde said, staring at Sam. "What happened to your ride?" Sam asked. 'How the hell did he know this girl?' Selene started to wonder. "You were right," the blonde replied, "The guy was shady. He was all hands." Sam raised his eyebrows, and Selene raised her hackles. She couldn't quite put her paw on it, but there was just something she didn't like about this girl. "I cut him loose," she continued. Noticing Sam's disappointment, the blonde asked, "What's the matter?"

"Just trying to get to California," Sam replied half-heartedly. Even though he liked meeting this girl again, he just felt like he was being dealt one blow after another in his quest to reach Dad. "No way," she replied excitedly, shock evident on her face. Sam stared at her. "Yeah," he confirmed. Selene couldn't help rolling her eyes at the pair.

"Me too," she cried, getting up and walking over to Sam, "You know, the next bus isn't until tomorrow?" Selene started prancing around under the table, mimicking the blonde's walk. "Yeah," Sam replied, "Yeah, that's the problem." The blonde stared inquiringly at Sam. "Why?" she asked, "What's in California that's so important?"

Sam sighed. "Just something I've been looking for," he replied, "For a long time." The blonde smiled. "Well," she told him, "Then I'm sure it can wait one more day, right?" Sam laughed, and the blonde extended her hand. "I'm Meg." Sam smiled warmly at her. "Sam." Under the table, Selene started pretending to stuff her paw down her throat and vomit.

Dean walked into Scotty's Café, noticing a couple sitting at one of the tables. "Oh hey Scotty," Dean called out, "Can I get a coffee, black?" Scotty left to get Dean his drink. "Oh," he called after him, "And some of that pie too while you're at it." He sat down at the table next to the couple. "How ya doin'?" he asked, gaining waves and smiles from the couple, "Just passing through?"

The girl smiled, "Road trip," she replied. Dean gave them a smile he hoped was endearing, before answering. "Yeah," he told them, "Me too." The couple nodded politely while Scotty walked over to re-fill their drinks. "I'm sure there people want to eat in peace," he told Dean firmly. "Just a friendly conversation," Dean told Scotty, who began to walk away, "Oh, and that coffee too man. Thanks." Scotty gave him an agitated glance.

Dean turned back to the couple. "So," he asked, "What brings you to town?" The girl turned to face Dean. "We just stopped for gas," she replied, "And, uh, the guy at the gas station saved our lives."

Dean's eyebrows raised slightly. "Is that right?" he asked, wondering where this was leading. The man nodded. "Yeah, one of our break lines was leaking," he replied, "We had no idea. He was fixing it for us." 'Okay,' Dean thought to himself, 'This is getting a little bit wierd.' "Nice people," Dean commented. The man nodded genuinely. "Yeah," he replied, turning back to his pie. "So," Dean asked again, "How long till you're up and runnin'?" The man turned away from his pie to face Dean. "Sundown," he replied.

"Really," Dean asked, his eyebrows raised, "To fix a brake line?" The man nodded. "I mean, you know," Dean continued, "I know a thing or two about cars. I could probably have you up and running in about an hour. I wouldn't charge you anything." The girl looked slightly sceptical. "You know," she replied, "Thanks a lot, but I think we'd rather have a mechanic do it."

'Damn it,' Dean thought to himself, 'This was why I need Sam.' Sam's charming smiles and people skills had a way of making people believe him. "Sure," Dean replied, "I know." Then, Dean being Dean, he couldn't help but spit out the next line. "You know," he began, "It's just that these roads. They're not real safe at night."

The couple exchanged glances. "I'm sorry?" the girl asked, staring at Dean like he was crazy. Dean was getting desperate now. "I know it sounds strange," he told them, "But, uh, you might be in danger."

The man was getting angry now. "Look," he said irritated, "We're trying to eat here. Okay?" Dean nodded. "Yeah," he muttered disappointedly, silently wishing Sam was beside him, "You know, my brother could give you this puppy-dog look, and you'd just buy right into it."

A tiny bell rang as the door to the Cafe opened, while Scotty walked in from the back room. "Thanks for coming Sheriff," Scotty said, walking over to the new-comer. Dean began to feel nervous as Scotty whispered in the man's ear. They both looked over at Dean, who pointedly looked away. Walking over to him, the Sheriff began to speak. "I'd like a word," he told Dean. Dean sighed. "Come on," he pleaded, "I'm having a bad day already." The couple looked almost sympathetic. "You know what would make it worse?" the Sheriff asked. Dean nodded slowly. Oh boy did he know.

Dean drove down the Interstate, the Sheriff's car following closely behind. Once they reached a decent distance between them and Burkitsville, pulled over to the side of the road. He watched Dean drive away, then turned his car around and drove back to town.

Sam and Meg were sitting at a table laden with beers and various foods. Selene had long since given up on listening to their constant flirtations and was busy seeking other methods of entertainment. During the past few hours, Selene had learnt a few things, Sam had met Meg during the brief moment she'd been picking herbs, the bus station had a rat problem, and the rats here were incredibly stupid.

Lazily swiping her paw, Selene sent yet another rat flying head-first into a table leg. She was rewarded with a gratifying sound of its skull shattering on impact. Adding the new addition to her steadily growing collection, she realised that was the sixth rat in under an hour. Sitting back down, Selene began to ponder the repercussions of displaying her little collection in strategic spots around the station.

"So," Sam began, "What are you on, some kind of vacation or something?" Meg laughed. "Yeah, right," she replied, "It's all sipping Crystal poolside for me," earning her a laugh from Sam, "No. I had to get away from my family." Sam leaned in closer, completely oblivious to the rat smashing head-first into their table leg. "Why?" he asked.

Meg smiled sadly. "I love my parents," she told him, "And they wanted what's best for me. They just didn't care if I wanted it. I was supposed to be smart, but not smart enough to scare away a husband," Sam smiled as she continued, "It's just...because y family said so, I was supposed to sit there and do what I was told. So I went my own way instead. I'm sorry. The things you say to people you hardly know."

"No,no," Sam replied enthusiastically, "It's okay. I know how you feel. Remember that brother I mentioned before, that I was road-tripping with?" Meg nodded, letting Sam continue, "It's, uh, it's kind of the same deal."

"And that's why you're not riding with him anymore?" Meg asked. Sam shook his head, an Meg smiled, raising her beer. "Here's to us," she told him, "The food might be bad, and the beds might be hard. But at least we're living our own lives, and nobody else's." Sam raised his own beer, tapping it softly against Meg's before both drank.

Underneath the table, Selene rolled her eyes. It hadn't taken much for Sam to forget she ever existed. He hadn't even bought food for her. Her eyes gained an evil glint. Hooking her claws into one of her collection, she flicked her paw, sending the 'present' soaring, landing on the table with a soft 'thump'.

Driving back down the Interstate, under the cover of night, Dean was soon passing by the orchard. Spotting the couple's car, he pulled over, jumping out of the car. Grabbing his shotgun and extra shots, he raced into the orchard.

Dodging through the trees, Dean soon found the couple, and the scarecrow chasing them. Dean ran out, placing himself between the couple and the scarecrow. They stop running, turning to face the man they'd considered crazy earlier that day.

"Get back to you car," Dean yelled at them. The couple stared at him, then spotted the scarecrow moving towards them. "Go!" Dean cried, "Go!" The stunned couple began to run, as Dean swung his gun up, firing a shot at the scarecrow. It stumbled slightly, but kept moving towards Dean. He soon began running, following the couple, turning around every so often to fire another shot at the scarecrow.

"Go!" Dean cried once more, catching sight of the couple, "Go!" The three reached the edge of the orchard and Dean swung around, gun ready, but all he could see was trees. "What the hell was that?" the man cried, staring searchingly at Dean. Dean began putting his gun away, feeling a sense of grim satisfaction that the scarecrow hadn't fed tonight. "Don't ask," he replied.

Selene crept closer to Sam when she heard Dean's voice on the other end of the phone. Meg was fast asleep, and that was just the way Selene preferred it. "The scarecrow climbed of its cross?" Sam asked incredulously, making Selene's ears perk slightly.

'Yeah,' came Dean's voice, 'I'm tellin' ya. Burkitsville, Indiana. Fun town." Sam grew worried. "It didn't kill the couple," he asked, "Did it?" Both Selene and Sam waited with baited breath for Dean's answer. 'No,' he replied, 'I can't cope without you, you know.' 'Yes,' Selene thought, 'Keep this up Dean, and we'll see if we can get a reunion.'

"So," Sam continued, "Something must be animating it. A spirit." Selene began to search her memory of anything to do with a scarecrow. 'No,' Dean replied, 'It's more then a spirit. It's a god. A Pagan god, anyway.' Sam's eyebrows snapped together in concern. He was starting to feel bad for leaving Dean. "What makes you say that?" Sam asked.

'The annual cycle of its killings,' Dean replied, 'And the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. Like some kind of fertility right. And you should see the locals. The way they treated this couple. Fattenin' 'em up like a Christmas Turkey.' Sam nodded slowly, while Selene stared inquiringly at him. "The last meal," Sam responded, "Given to sacrificial victims." Selene shook her head, humans were crazy. 'Yeah,' was Dean's response, 'I'm thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some Pagan god.'

"So," Sam began, gathering all the facts mentally, "A god possesses the scarecrow..." 'And the scarecrow takes the sacrifice,' Dean continued, 'And for another year, the crops won't wilt, and disease won't spread." Sam nodded, he liked to have all the facts at hand before making a conclusion. "Do you know which god you're dealing with?" he asked, not noticing the breath he was holding. 'No,' Dean replied, 'Not yet.'

"Well," Sam replied, "You figure out what it is, you can figure out a way to kill it." Dean chuckled softly. 'I know,' he responded, 'I'm actually on my way to a local community college. I've got an appointment with a professor. You know, since I don't have my trusty sidekick geek boy to do all the research." Selene smiled when she heard Sam's laughter. He needed his brother, even if he didn't know it.

"You know," Sam told his brother, "If you're hinting that you need my help, just ask." 'I'm not hinting anything,' came Dean's reply, 'Actually, uh, I want you to know...I mean, don't think...' Sam smiled slightly. "Yeah," Sam replied, "I'm sorry too." Selene's ears twitched, Dean couldn't even say the words 'sorry' to his brother, yet he'd said them to her.

'Sam,' Dean continued, 'You were right. You gotta do your own thing. You gotta live your own life.' Sam stared at the phone incredulously. Was the person on the other end really his brother? "Are you serious?" Sam asked.

'You've always known what you want,' Dean replied, 'And you go after it. You stand up to Dad, and you always have. Hell, I wish I...anyway, I admire that about you. I'm proud of you Sammy.' Selene smiled softly. 'You go Dean,' she thought vehemently, 'Now bring this home. Come on, you can do it.' "I don't even know what to say," Sam replied, still shocked by his brother's attitude, or lack-there-of. 'Say you'll take care of yourself,' Dean told him. Sam nodded mutely. "I will," he promised his brother, not knowing how to take this new side of Dean. 'Call me when you find Dad,' Dean said. Sam's face fell. He'd been expecting his brother to ask him to come back, not wish him well. "Okay," he promised, "Bye Dean."

Selene flopped on to the floor, not believing the pride of the brothers. This was going to take a lot of work. Sam hung up in time to see Meg stirring. "Who was that?" she asked. Sam smiled sadly. "My brother," he replied. Meg's eyebrows twitched together at the mention of Dean. Selene began contemplating using another rat. "What'd he say?" Meg asked softly. Sam glanced at the phone. "Goodbye," he replied.

Dean was standing in a Community College, talking to the professor. "It's not every day I get a research question on Pagan ideology," he told Dean, who shrugged nonchalantly, trying to keep his 'student' guise. "Yeah, well, call it a hobby," Dean responded. The professor nodded slightly. "But you said you were interested in local lore?" he inquired, earning a nod from Dean, "I'm afraid Indiana isn't really known for its Pagan worship."

"Well," Dean asked, "What if it was imported? You know, like the pilgrims brought their religion over. Wasn't a lot of this area settled by immigrants?" Dean stared inquisitorially at the professor. "Well," the professor said, "Yes." Dean nodded, relieved to finally be getting somewhere. "Like that town near here," Dean continued, "Burkitsville. Where are their ancestors from?" The professor began to look unsettled. "Uh, northern Europe, I believe. Scandinavia."

"What could you tell me about those Pagan gods?" Dean asked, staring at the professor intently. "Well," the professor began, "There are hundreds of Norse gods and goddesses." Dean nodded, "I'm actually looking for one," he responded, "Might live in an orchard." The professor nodded, escorting him through to a classroom, where he brought out a large book, placing it on the table.

"Wood gods, hm?" The professor asked, leafing through the book, "Well, let's see." Dean notices a picture resembling a scarecrow tied to a post in a field. "Wait, wait, wait," Dean spoke up, flipping back to the page and pointing to the picture, "What's that one?" The professor seemed to be a little uncomfortable. "Oh," the professor exclaimed, "That's not a wood god, per se."

Dean began to read from the book. "The V-Vanir?" Dean started, gaining a nod from the professor, "The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. Some villages built effigies of the Vanir in their fields. Other villages practiced human sacrifices. One male, and one female," pointing to the picture, Dean turned to the professor, "Kind of looks like a scarecrow, huh?" The professor shifted slightly on his feet. "I suppose," he confirmed.

Dean turned back to the book. "This particular Vanir, that's energy sprung from the sacred tree?" he asked, glad he was finally getting the answers to all his questions. The professor nodded once more. "Well," he began, "Pagans believed all sorts of things were infused with magic."

"So," Dean asked, listening intently for the professor's answer, "What would happen if the sacred tree was torched? You think it'd kill the god?" The professor began to laugh slightly. "Son," he told Dean, "These are just legends we're discussing." Dean nodded ferverently. "Oh," Dean replied, "Of course. Yeah, you're right. Listen, thank you very much." He shook the professor's hand, while his mind was thinking of ways to sneak back to Burkitsville and take up the life of a Pyro. "Glad I could help," the professor replied.

Dean strode over to the classroom door. Opening the door, he suddenly found his head becoming quite friendly with the butt of a rifle. He had only a moment to see the Sheriff's face before falling into the depths of a, all-consuming blackness.

Dean slowly regained consciousness, only to see blackness all around him. 'This wouldn't have happened if Sam was here,' Dean thought miserably. Sam would've done all the book work, and that damn Sheriff wouldn't have even known he was still in the area. He began to search his pocket for anything of use, when his finger pricked itself on something sharp.

Reaching into his pocket once more, he began to feel around more tentatively. His fingers finally closed around something long, thin and sharp. 'The fang,' Dean remembered. Holding it in his hand, he could almost feel Selene's calming presence wash over him. Smiling fondly, he pulled the cord over his head, silently wishing she was there to help him out.

His ears picked up the sounds of a struggle when a door opened, illuminating the cellar around him. Looking up, he saw Emily being held by her Aunt and Uncle, tears flowing unchecked down her cheek. "Aunt Stacy," she cried, "Uncle Harley, please." The pushed her down the stairs towards Dean, before going back to the top of the stairs. "Why are you doing this?" Emily called after them. Stacy's face hardened. "For the common good," She told her niece, before slamming the door shut, plunging them into blackness.

Selene felt a jolt run through her body. 'Yes,' her mind cried, Dean had finally remembered her fang. She felt the bond now connecting the two of them. Searching down the fragile thread, she felt Dean's pain. He was worried, and he was in danger. 'Hold on Dean,' she thought, 'I'll be there as fast as I can.'

Selene's lithe form raced out the door of the bus station, paws pounding the floor. She was going to find Dean, and she was going to save him. She dashed past Sam, phone pressed firmly against his ear, not even glancing in his direction.

Sam sighed, he'd been trying to call Dean for a while now but couldn't seem to reach him. All he got was voice mail. He was really starting to worry now, it wasn't like Dean not to pick up. Something was wrong, he could just feel it.

"I don't understand," Emily sobbed, "They're gonna kill us?" Dean smiled grimly, knowing the full weight of what their fate was. "Sacrifice us," he replied, "Which is, I don't know, classier, I guess?" He walked over to her, "You really didn't know anything about this did you?" Emily shook her head. "About what?" she asked, "The scarecrow god? I can't believe this." Dean took a deep breath. Looks like he'd have to be strong enough for the both of them. "Well," he told her firmly, "You better start believing, cause I'm gonna need your help." Emily nodded slowly. "Okay," she told him.

"Now," he told her, "We can destroy the scarecrow, but we gotta find the tree." Emily's eyebrows knitted together. "What tree?" she asked, wondering where he was taking this. "Maybe you can help me with that," he replied, "It would be really old. The locals would treat it with a lot of respect, you know, like it was sacred."

"There was this one apple tree," Emily began, "The immigrants brought it over with them. They call it the First Tree." Dean nodded. 'Okay,' he thought to himself, 'This town is officially creepy.' "Is it in the orchard?" he asked urgently. Emily began nodding once more, before her face fell. "Yeah," she replied, "But I don't know where." The cellar doors suddenly burst open, revealing the four 'guardians' of the god. "It's time," Stacy told them. Emily and Dean looked at each other grimly.

Dean soon found himself being tied to a tree. "How many people have you killed Sheriff?" he spat at the man, "How much blood is on your hands?" The Sheriff regarded Dean for a moment. "We don't kill them," he tried to justify to the boy. Dean's eyes narrowed at the cowardice of the man before him. "No," he bit back, "But you sure cover up after. I mean how many cars have you hidden, clothes have you buried?" The sheriff walked away, and Dean turned his attention to the girl being tied to a tree next to him.

"Uncle Harley," the girl pleaded, her eyes watering with unshed tears, "Please." Harley turned his face away from the girl. "I am so sorry, Em," he told her, "I wish it wasn't you." Stacy walked over to join her husband. "Try to understand," she told the girl, "It's our responsibility. And there's just no other choice. There's nobody else but you."

Emily's eyes welled up even more. "I'm your family," she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. Stacy smiled sadly. "Sweetheart," she consoled the girl, without actually succeeding, "That's what sacrifice means. Giving up something you love for the greater good. The town needs to be safe. The good of the many outweighs the good of the one."

A single tear fell down her cheek as the elders began to walk away. "I hope your apple pie is freakin' worth it," Dean hollered after them, wondering what sort of creature could sacrifice their own flesh and blood. "So what's the plan?" Emily asked him softly. Dean turned his head around, taking in their surroundings. "I'm workin' on it," he replied.

Black paws pounded the earth, propelling a small lithe body over all obstacles in its way. Leaping over a fallen log, Selene almost lost her footing. Stopping to re-gain her balance, she spotted a sign. Burkitsville. She was close. 'Hang on Dean,' she thought to herself, 'I'll be there soon. Just hang on a little longer.'

Emily sighed, turning to face Dean. "You don't have a plan, do you?" she asked bluntly. Dean, now panicking slightly, replied shortly, "I'm workin' on it. Can you see it?" Emily stared back at him like he'd just grown another head. "Is he moving yet?" Dean asked as patiently as he could, given the circumstances. "I can't see," she told him, suddenly hearing a soft rustling sound.

Dean's ears shot up too. This was not good. His ears tracked it coming steadily closer. Out of the darkness, a small black mass of fur launched itself at Dean. Dean and Emily stared at the small creature now seated on Dean's lap. Stretching up his body, it bunted its head against his chin before sitting back down, staring up into his eyes.

Dean stared at the small creature. "Look," he told the black ball of fluff, "That's great, and I would love to give you a hug, but I kind of have a bit of a problem with a killer scarecrow right now. So unless you have some miraculous repellent for Norse gods, or at least have a knife hidden under all that cuteness so I can untie myself..." Dean's eyes widened as he saw the colour of the creature's eyes, "Selene?"

Dean sighed with relief. "Oh please tell me that's you Princess," Dean told the cat, "Please tell me you came here to kick that scarecrow's butt and send him back to hell." In a heartbeat, the cat had disappeared, with Selene sitting in its place, straddling Dean's lap. "I may not have a knife," she told him, "But will claws do?"

She held up one hand, but Dean's eyes were focused on her chest, and lower. "Princess," he told her, breathing harshly, "That knife isn't the only thing you don't have." Selene's eyebrows knitted together. Smirking contentedly, Dean raised his gaze to stare into her eyes. "If you wanted me that badly," he told her, "You didn't really have to go through all this trouble. A simple 'I want you' would've been more then adequate. But I will have to thank you. At least this way, I'll die happy. I have to say, death doesn't look so bad when you have a beautiful, naked woman on your lap."

Selene gave a squeak of indignance, trying to cover herself from his wandering gaze, before returning to her house-cat appearance. "Damn it Selene," Dean cursed the cat, "You could've waited until AFTER you untied me to return to cat form." Emily's laughter at the scene before her soon died when she saw a shadow moving through the trees.

"Oh my god," She cried as she saw it move closer. Dean began to try to untie in bonds once more, "Oh my god," Emily cried out once more, before the figure stepped out from the trees. "Dean?" Sam's voice asked.

Dean sighed with relief. "Oh," he cried, catching sight of his brother, "Oh I take everything I said back. I'm so happy to see you. Come on," Sam bent to untie Dean, "How'd you get here?" Sam laughed nervously, while Dean stared at his brother intently. "I, uh, I stole a car," Sam replied.

Dean laughed, "Haha!" he exclaimed, "That's my boy! And keep an eye on that scarecrow," Dean's eyes began to wander, trying to find Selene, "He could come alive any minute." Sam glanced over in the direction Dean indicated. "What scarecrow?" he asked. Dean leapt up to see the scarecrow's post empty.

Selene raced across the orchard, staying just ahead of the scarecrow. She'd purposefully made her aura as large as possible to gain the creature's attention. It had worked like a charm, but now she was running from a mad, killer scarecrow.

Sam, Dean and Emily race through the orchard, weaving around trees as they go. "Alright," Sam began, "Now, this sacred tree you're talking about..." Dean cut his brother off, his eyes still looking out for a little flash of black fur. "It's the source of its power," Dean told him. Sam nodded, "So let's find it and burn it," Sam decided.

"Nah," Dean replied, "In the morning. Let's just shag ass before Leather Face catches up." The reached the edge of the orchard, only to find the 'guardians' and a few of the townspeople already waiting for them, blocking their escape. "This way," Dean decided, only to have the rest of the people block them in all directions.

Knowing Dean was close to the edge of the orchard, Selene doubled back, pulling her aura back inside herself. Racing off, she headed for where all the voices sounded. Seeing the brothers at the centre of the townspeople, Selene added a touch more speed. Pushing off hard, she leapt onto the head of one of the 'guardian's', propelling herself over. Landing as lightly as a feather, she spun, paws firmly planted, hackles raised and spitting a warning to any who dared to come any closer.

"Please," Emily begged, "Let us go." The group stood un-moving. They all knew what was at stake. "It'll be over quickly," Harley told her, "I promise." Selene shifted her gaze to him, pinning him with an icy glare. "Please," She pleaded, trying to get them to see the error in their ways. Harley sighed. "Emily," he told her, "You have to let him take you. You have to..."

The man was cut short as a sickle protruded from his stomach. Stacy and Emily began to scream as they saw the blood slowly drip to the ground. Emily shut her eyes as the scarecrow turned on Stacy. Emily turned, pressing herself into Dean's arms, while the scarecrow began to drag the mangled bodies of her aunt and uncle away.

The rest of the townsfolk ran from the scene, not caring to be among the casualties. Selene sat down, licking her paw disinterestedly at the scene before her. Normally the sight of human blood would've sickened her, but after seeing what they were planning to make Dean and the girl go through, Selene found herself not caring.

"Come on," Dean told them, "Let's go." The three began running once more, Selene trailing behind them. Hearing a noise, they spun around, but all signs of the scarecrow and his victims were gone. Reaching the road, Dean breathed a sigh of relief. A soft weight pressed on his shoulder.

Turning his head slightly, Dean saw Selene's small form perched on his shoulder. "That is one brave cat," Sam told Dean as he pointed to his passenger. Dean smirked as he remembered the sight of her bare flesh. "You could say that," he told his brother as they reached the car Sam had stolen. When Dean grabbed Selene's bag, Sam's face fell.

"I lost her," he admitted, "I got side-tracked. Then you weren't picking up your phone and I got worried. I completely forgot about her, and she's probably in California by now, looking for me."

Dean smirked, placing her bag behind a tree. Selene leapt off his shoulder and disappeared behind the tree. Moments later, Selene reappeared, dressed in her black velvets, head held high as she walked past Dean, her dark hair whipping in the wind.

"Now," Dean asked, leaning against the car, "How about you tell us where you ran off to? And how you knew to come back here?" Selene grinned sheepishly, tapping her index fingers together nervously.

"You know that fang I gave you?" she asked Dean who nodded, "I guess you could call it a home-made tracking device. It connects me to you, and through that connection, I could sense that you were in danger. And back there, I was kind of playing 'chicken' with a scarecrow. I thought that if I made my aura powerful enough, it would chase me and give you a clear run to the exit. Well, it worked. A little too well in fact."

"Wait a minute," Sam exclaimed, "That was you! You're the reason those dead rats kept appearing on the table." Selene started to shift nervously, while giving Sam the biggest pair of watery-eyes he'd ever seen. "Guilty," she mumbled sheepishly. Dean threw his head back and roared with laughter. He didn't know Selene could be such a prankster. The four climbed into the stolen car.

The next morning, Sam, Dean, Emily and Selene began to search through the orchard, finally finding the sacred tree. Selene watched as Sam and Dean doused the tree with gasoline. Picking up a branch, Dean sets the lighter to it. "Let me," Emily told him, taking the branch. Dean stood back. "You know," he told her, "The whole town's gonna die." Emily's jaw set, her chin raised that little touch higher. "Good," she replied, throwing the burning branch onto the tree. The four stood back to watch their bonfire.

Dean, Sam and Selene waited at the bus stop, watching Emily climb on board. She turned back to smile and wave at the trio. "Think she's gonna be alright?" Sam asked. Dean paused slightly. "I hope so," he told his brother. Sam nodded, knowing exactly how uncertain the future could be. "And the rest of the townspeople," he asked solemnly, "They'll just get away with it?" Dean smiled coldly. "Well," he reasoned, "What'll happen to the town will have to be punishment enough."

They walked over to Dean's car. "So," Dean asked ,"Can I drop you off somewhere?" Sam smiled, "No," he replied, "I think you're stuck with me." Selene smiled as they reached the car. "What made you change your mind?" Dean asked, not knowing if he wanted to know the answer.

"I didn't," Sam replied, "I still wanna find Dad. And you're still a pain in the ass," Dean grinned and nodded, "But Jess and Mum...They're both gone. Dad is god knows where. You and me. We're all that's left. So, If we're gonna see this through, We're gonna do it together." Dean pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Hold me Sam," He replied, "That was beautiful."

Dean reached over, clasping Sam's shoulder, who brushed him aside. Selene shook her head at their folly. "You should be kissing my ass," Sam told his brother, "You were dead meat, dude." Dean smirked at his brother. "Yeah," he retorted, "Right. I had a plan. I'd have gotten out." Sam shook his head. "Right," he replied. They stepped into the car, when Dean suddenly spun to face Selene.

"I completely forgot," Dean cried, "How much do I owe you for that little lap dance?" Sam's eyes widened and Selene's narrowed. Dean soon found himself nursing a rather large bump to his head, curtesy of Selene's fist. "Remind me never to come to your rescue again," she spat, focussing her attention out the window. Sam couldn't help himself, he started laughing at their antics, although he did have to wonder what had happened between the two. Maybe he could force some details out of Dean later.

Please review, I love to hear your opinions.

May your thoughts and creativity flow,

Lady Ami DragonHeart


	5. Falling Apart

Well...here's the next instalment and I hope you enjoy this one as much as the last few.

Sam sighed as he rested against the bed head. It had been one hectic month. After Dean's 'lap dance' comment, the arguments between him and Selene had grown almost vicious. It had gotten so bad that when Selene gave them advice on how to handle a particular demon, Dean had thrown it back in her face.

Selene had been so mad at him, that she refused to join them on the hunt. Saying that she obviously wasn't 'man' enough to handle a demon, before storming out of the house, after Dean had pulled her fang from around his neck, throwing it on the floor, saying he didn't need to be babysat. Sam had to hide the beginnings of a smile when he noticed Dean pick the fang back up, wrapping it carefully in a handkerchief and sticking it in his pocket when he thought no one was looking.

That was when things took a turn for the worst. Sam and Dean had gone on to hunt the demon down, without Selene. Sam distinctly remembered hearing Dean muttering something about proving that he could bring down a demon without the help of meddling women.

Finding the demon had been easy. He was holed up inside a house. Killing him, though, was a different story. The problem had been compounded by the fact that there were children in the house, who had ended up locking themselves in a cupboard in the basement.

Getting the children out, meant the brothers had to separate, and having Selene there would've given them another set of eyes to keep a look out for the demon. Sam had grabbed the children and run, leaving Dean to deal with the demon, but when he fired the Taser, both he and the demon had been in water, meaning Dean was shot with the same dose he dealt the demon.

Sam had come home from the hospital to find Selene sitting on the kitchen counter, staring at the front door. When she'd seen Sam, she ran to embrace him, only to realise Dean wasn't there. Hearing the news, Selene had turned and left, mumbling something about failing him, tears streaming down her face.

Dean had walked through the door only moments later, his smile dropping when he saw Selene wasn't there. Selene didn't return, and Sam, growing desperate for a miracle to save his brother, had bundled Dean into the car and drove off.

Sam did find his brother a miracle cure, but he could tell that Selene's departure was weighing heavily on Dean. Dean felt responsible for pushing her away, even though she'd only been trying to help. Sam watched helplessly as Dean threw himself into destroying the person controlling a Reaper, but Sam could see he lacked his usual passion and enthusiasm.

It was only after they had put an end to the crooked 'church' that they found a surprise waiting for them back at their room. Dean walked in to pack their things, when he heard the window open. Turning around, he saw Selene slink in.

"Hey," she said softly, staring at him, her eyes shining with unspent tears. Dean stared at her, not daring to believe she'd come back. "Hey yourself," he replied. He looked like he was about to say more when Selene held up her hand. "Before you say anything," she told him, handing him a vial of liquid, "Here. I'm sorry it took so long, but the ingredients were a little difficult to find. It's my own recipe. It should fix you up better then before. I'm sorry," she told him, tears now flowing freely down her face, "I let my emotions get in the way of the hunt, and you paid the price. I did what I came to do. Goodbye, Dean."

She turned to leave the way she came when Dean spoke up. "I thought you hated me," he stated. Selene turned back, shaking her head. "I don't hate you," she muttered wetly. Dean pulled her into his arms. "Good," he replied, "'Cause I don't hate you." He looked at the vial in his hands. "So you made this?" he asked, "You went running around god knows where, just to heal me?" Selene nodded, her tears still soaking his shirt. "I'm sorry you went to all that trouble," Dean continued, "But Sam already cured me."

Selene blinked a couple of times. "You mean I did all that work for nothing?" she asked. Dean nodded, "Yeah," he replied, "That's just about the gist of it." Selene pulled away from him, her eyes narrowing. "You mean, I thought you were dying, and you were in perfect health?" she asked. Smirking, Dean nodded, only to have Selene's fist connect solidly with his shoulder. "That hurt, damn it," Dean cried, "That's it."

Dean tackled Selene, knocking her backwards on to his bed, where he pinned her down and began to tickle her mercilessly. Soon both were laughing and gasping for breath alternately, neither wanting to back down from the fight. Sam opened the door to see what the noise was about, to find Dean and Selene in a rather compromising position.

Selene took Dean's moment of shock, and began their tickle war, only to have them fall off the bed a second later when Sam pushed them. "Dean," Sam told them, "Try not to bite her head off this time. And Selene," he reached over to ruffle her hair, "It's good to have you back."

Dean turned to Selene. "You said this would cure me right?" he asked, a thought suddenly popping into his head. Selene nodded. "Will it cure anything?" he asked. Selene paused for a moment. "It's a powerful healant," Selene told him, "It works by utilising the body's own strength, and forcing it to heal the afflicted area. Normally the body would overlook such problems, this makes it focus its energy. I added a good dose of my blood to it though, so it's pretty fast acting."

Dean pondered her words for a moment. "Would it cure a brain tumour?" he asked innocently. Selene's eyes widened. "Do you have one?" she asked, "I guess it would, but you'd have to drink it now. I'm not taking any chances with your health." Sam chuckled softly as 'Nurse Selene' fussed over his brother. "Not for me," Dean told her, "There's this girl, Leyla. We met her here. She's got a brain tumour. Inoperable. I kind of feel responsible for her not being healed, and I wanted to know if this would help." Selene nodded. "Well," Dean told them, "I guess I better go play 'Doctor'." Sam groaned, knowing his brother would never grow up. "Hey Doctor," Sam called after him, "Just don't go sticking your 'stethoscope' any place it doesn't belong." Deans laughter filled the hallway as he went to find Leyla.

The next morning, the brothers were greeted with one of Selene's breakfasts, making their stomachs growl for more. They hurriedly packed up their gear, loading the car before heading off. Where they were headed, Selene didn't care. All that mattered to her right then was that they were going there together.

The car stopped outside a petrol station. Sam buried his nose in a map, while Dean busied himself listening to voice mail. "Okay," Sam told them, "I think I've found a way we can bypass that construction just east of here. We might even make Pennsylvania faster then we thought." Dean hung up, looing somewhat stunned. "Yeah," he replied, "Problem is, we're not going to Pennsylvania." Sam stopped to stare at his brother, shock evident on his face. Since when did Dean not follow a lead? "We what?" he asked, looking for some answers.

"Just got a call from, uh, an old friend," Dean explained, "Her father was killed last night, she thinks it might be our kind of thing." Sam stared at his brother even more incredulously then before. "What?" he asked, still not getting why this death was their problem. Dean nodded. "Yeah," he replied, "Believe me, she never would've called, _never_, if she didn't need us." With that he jumped back in the car. "You comin' or what?" he asked Sam, who, still confused, jumped into the car.

"By old friend," Sam started, "You mean...?" Dean rolled his eyes slightly, not wanting to go there. "A friend that's not new," he replied stubbornly. Sam chuckled at his brother's tactics. "Yeah," he replied, "Thanks. So, her name's Cassie huh?" Dean nodded. "You never mentioned her before," Sam told him pointedly. Dean hesitated momentarily, peaking Selene's interest. "Didn't I?" Dean asked evasively, trying to weasel his way out of answering the question. Sam smirked. "No," Sam replied.

Dean sighed, he wasn't getting out of this one un-scathed. "Yeah," he replied, "We went out." Sam looked shocked by this. "You mean you dated someone? for more than one night?" Sam asked. "Am I speakin' another language you're not getting here?" Dean asked defensively, making Sam laugh, "Yeah, Dad and I were workin' a job in Athens, Ohio, she was finishing up college, and we went out for a couple of weeks."

"And?" Sam asked, trying to pry more information out of his brother. Dean shook his head. Sam sighed, "Look," he continued, "It's terrible about her dad, but it kind of sounds like a standard car accident. I'm not seeing how it fits with what we do. Which, by the way, how does she know what we do?" Dean remained silent, and Sam's face became a mix of disbelief and shock. "You told her," he accused his brother, "You told her? The secret? Our big family rule number one, we do what we do, and we shut up about it. For a year and a half I do nothing but lie to Jessica, and you go out with this chick in Ohio a couple of times and you tell her everything?" Once again, Dean remained silent. "Dean!" Sam yelled. Dean sighed at his brother. "Yeah," he told him defensively, "Looks like it." Sam shook his head, upset with his brother, and for having to lie to his ex-girlfriend when Dean obviously had no such regard for the family rule.

Sam, Dean and Selene stepped into a newsroom, searching for this mysterious 'Cassie.' Spotting three people talking, they stayed in the background, waiting for an opportunity. The mayor continued to talk to the other two for a moment, before he and the other man walked away, leaving the girl behind.

Turning around, the girl spotted the trio. "Dean," she breathed out, as if not daring to believe he was real, before walking over to them. "Hey Cassie," Dean sighed, neither knowing quite what to say, "This is my brother Sam, and this is Selene. Sam's has a thing for picking up strays," Cassie nodded to both of them, finding herself slightly speechless when she saw Selene's bright violet eyes, "I'm sorry about your dad." Cassie smiled sadly, her attention devoted to Dean. "Yeah," she told him, "Me too."

The trio followed Cassie to her house, filing into the living room. Sam and Dean sat down, waiting for Cassie to pour them tea while Selene stood by the window, staring out at the night sky. Cassie had offered her a drink, but Selene flatly refused. Sam and Dean stared at her back reproachfully, she had never been so blatantly rude before.

"My mother's in pretty bad shape," Cassie told them, "I've been staying with her. I wish she would walk by herself, she's been so nervous and frightened. She was worried about Dad." Dean's eyebrows twitched together. "Why?" he asked, diverting his attention from the demon. "He was scared," Cassie replied, "He was seeing things." Selene's delicate ears twitched so slightly, the boys didn't even pick up on it. "He swore he saw an awful-looking black truck following him," Cassie replied. Selene rolled her eyes, so a stupid truck ran him of the road, she'd seen worse drivers just going down the street. "A truck?" Sam asked, "Who was the driver?"

Cassie stopped to look at Sam. "He didn't talk about a driver," she replied, "Just the truck. He said it would appear and disappear. And in the accident, Dad's truck was dented. Like it had been slammed into, by something big." She walked over, handing the boys their tea, while sending a glance in the direction of the demon. "Thanks," Sam replied, "Now, you're sure this dent wasn't there before?"

"He sold cars," Cassie told him, "Always drove a new one. I mean, there wasn't a scratch on that thing. It rained hard that night, there was mud everywhere. There was a distinct set of muddy tracks from Dad's car, leading right to the edge," tears began to flow down her cheeks, "Where he went over. One set of tracks. His." Dean sighed, he hated having to make her go through this. "And the first person killed was a friend of your father's?" he asked.

Cassie nodded. "Best friend," she told the boys, "Clayton Solmes. They owned the car dealership together. Same thing. Dent, no tracks. And the cops said exactly what they said about Dad...He lost control of his car." Dean nodded once more. There was definitely something worth checking out here. "Now," Dean asked, "Can you think of any reason why your father and his partner might be targets?" Cassie shook her head, dark locks flying. "No," she told him. Sam raised his eyebrows. "And you think this vanishing truck ran him off the road?"

Cassie began to blush slightly. "Oh," she said, "When you say it aloud like that...Listen, I'm a little sceptical about this...ghost stuff, or whatever it is you guys are into." Dean began to chuckle. "Sceptical," he responded, "Yeah, if I remember, I think you said it was nuts."

Selene spun around to face the group. "That was then," Cassie told them. Selene pinned her with a piercing stare. She couldn't believe that this...girl...had told Dean he was crazy, and now, as soon as something bad came her way, decided to believe in him. "Mmm," was Dean's cold reply.

Sam gave Cassie a sympathetic smile. "I just know that I can't explain what happened up there," Cassie told them, "So I called you." Cassie's mum entered the room. "Mum!" Cassie exclaimed, "Where have you been I was so..." Her mother cut her off, noticing the people in the room. "Oh," She said, "I had no idea you'd invited friends over."

"Uh, Mum," Cassie cried, "This is Dean, a friend of mine from...college. And his brother, Sam. And Selene. Uh, she..." Selene fixed Cassie with a cold, piercing stare as she cut the girl off. "Was just leaving," Selene replied, "Goodnight." Selene swept past the two women with cat-like poise and grace. Her long, dark hair whipping backwards, away from her porcelain face and blood-red lips, to expose her elvan ears. It wasn't until the door had closed behind her that the occupants of room remembered to breathe.

"Well," Mrs Robinson began, "Uh, I won't interrupt you." She too turned to leave when Dean spoke up. "Mrs Robinson," he asked, "We're sorry for you loss. And we'd like to talk to you for a minute, if you don't mind." Mrs Robinson's face hardened slowly. "I'm not really up to that just now," she told them shortly, walking away. Dean's face fell, disappointment obvious on his features.

The trio heard about a crash, driving there first thing that morning. Hopping out of the car, Sam and Dean spotted Cassie talking with the Mayor. Walking over to her, they forgot about the third member of their team. 'Typical,' Selene thought, 'It's bad enough we're playing 'Detective' for some chick who didn't want to believe. Now that something bad has happened to her, she wants any other explanation for the deaths but bad driving. So she calls the one person who asked her to believe in him, only to have her throw it in his face.' It was true that cats held grudges, but so did cat demons.

"Did the cops check for additional denting on Jimmy's car?" Dean asked, sidling up to Cassie, "See if it was pushed?" The Mayor pinned Dean with a glare, but Dean refused to lower himself to glare-wars. "Who's this?" the Mayor demanded. Cassie gave the boys a small grin before turning back to the Mayor. "Dean and Sam Winchester," she replied, "Family friends. This is Mayor Harold Todd." Cassie gave a quick glance around to see if Selene was with them. Not seeing her, she shrugged and turned back to the three men before her.

Selene pushed herself off of Dean's car, slowly striding over to the damaged car. Police began calling out for her to stop, but she ignored their presence. Reaching the car, she began to sniff tentatively, her violet eyes sweeping over the damage done to the car.

Hearing the noise, Sam, Dean, Cassie and Harold turned to see Selene walking around the car, police trailing after her. They kept asking her to move back behind the police tape, but for all their efforts, they may as well have been invisible because she continued on regardless. One officer even went as far as to try to grab her, but she merely side-stepped him, allowing him to fall face-first in the mud, while she casually walked around him.

Harold stepped forward. "You there," he called out, "You must vacate the area immediately." Chuckling, Dean strode forward. "Oh," he told the Mayor, "She's with us." Viewing all there was, Selene calmly stalked back to the car, seemingly unaware of the havoc she'd caused.

"So," Harold said, leading them over to the vacated scene, "One set of tire tracks. One. Doesn't point to foul play." Dean began to examine the tracks leading from the car, while Cassie turned to face the Mayor. "Mayor," she began, "The police and town officials take their cues from you. If you're indifferent about..." She would've continued, had the Mayor not cut her off. "Indifferent?" he asked. Cassie's face hardened cruelly. I was time she showed this man what she was made of. "Would you close the road if the victims were white?" She asked him pointedly.

"You're suggesting I'm racist Cassie?" he asked, offended by her accusation, "I'm the last person you should talk to like that." Cassie squared her shoulders, tilting her jaw up to meet his eyes. "And why is that?" she asked him coldly. The Mayor met her gaze, before backing off slightly. "Why don't you ask your mother?" he told her, walking away.

Back in their motel room, the brothers started pulling black suits on. Selene stood in the doorway, facing the opposite direction. "The car was clean," she told them, "No scent, no presence, nothing. There was no trace what so ever of demonic interference, although I will admit, the denting is consistent with the force required to push it that far."

Sam turned to glance at Selene, he could tell her hackles were up about something, but he didn't want to push the point, otherwise she'd only run further out of reach. "How'd you do it?" he asked instead, "You walked over sloppy mud all the way around the car, and didn't leave a single foot print." Dean's head shot up. Now that he mentioned it, Dean hadn't seen her leave footprints either. The cops chasing her had, but she hadn't.

"Is there a law to say I have to?" she asked, still feigning cold indifference, "I'm a demon, and a cat demon at that. We tread lightly, like a shadow on the ground. I don't leave footprints if I don't have to." With that she left the room for the wilderness outside. She was still a wild creature, and sometimes she needed to spend some time outside to calm her restless spirit.

"Okay," Sam sighed, turning to face his brother, "What did you do to her? She's been distant ever since we got here." Dean glared at his brother. Why would Selene's bad mood be because of him? "Wait," Sam started, "You don't think it's...never mind. It couldn't be. I'm just being stupid." Dean rolled his eyes. "On another note," Sam told his brother, "I'll say this for Cassie, she's fearless." Dean grunted his affirmation.

"I bet she kicked your ass a couple of times," Sam smiled as his brother glared at him, "What's interesting is you guys never really look at each other at the same time. You look at her when she's not looking, she checks you out when you look away." Dean watched his brother strangely. "It's just an interesting observation," Sam continued, "In a, you know, observationally interesting way."

Dean glared at his brother. "I think we might have some more pressing issues here," he told his brother sternly. "Hey," Sam tried to sooth his brother's raw nerves, "If I'm hitting a nerve-" Dean cut him off before he could go any further. "Oh, let's go," he grumbled out, walking out the door. Sam smiled to himself before following.

Sam and Dean soon found themselves down at the docks, posing as an insurance company to gain information. They decided to start with two men playing checkers. "Excuse me," Dean called out to them, "Are you Ron Stubbins? You were friends of Jimmy Anderson?" One of them nodded. "Who are you?" Ron asked.

"We're with Mr. Anderson's insurance company," Dean informed them, "We're just here to dot some i's and cross some t's." Sam nodded his ascent, before joining in on their little charade. "We were just wondering," Sam asked, "Had the deceased mentioned any unusual recent experiences?"

"What do you mean unusual?" Ron asked, gazing at the pair inquiringly. Sam inclined his head. "Well," he began, "Visions, hallucinations." Dean could see they were losing them and decided to step in. "It's all part of a medical examination kind of thing," he assured them, "All very standard." Ron was starting to become suspicious of the two boys. "What company did you say you were with?" he asked.

"All National Mutual," Dean replied, partially extracting an envelope from the inside of his jacket, before sliding it back away. "Tell me, did he ever mention seeing a truck? A big, black truck?" The man beside Ron began to show his interest, but Ron himself was just looking more and more confused by the second. "What the hell are you talking about?" Ron asked, "You even speaking English?"

"Son," the other man asked, "This truck. A big, scary, monster-lookin' thing?" Dean and Sam turned to face the man. "Yeah," Dean replied, "Actually, I think so." The man nodded. "What?" Dean asked, giving the man his full attention. "I have heard of a truck like that," the man replied. "You have?" Sam asked, "Where?"

The man shook his head. "Not where," he replied, "When. Back in the sixties, there was a string of deaths. Black men. Story goes, they disappeared in a big, nasty, black truck." Dean raised his eyebrows. "They ever catch the guy who did it?" Dean asked. The man shook his head.

"Never found him," the man told them, "Hell, I'm not sure they even really looked. See there was a time this town wasn't too friendly to all its citizens." The man threw a glare at Ron. Sam nodded. "Thank you," he replied, before he and Dean began to walk back to the car.

"Truck," Dean quipped, as they strode towards the car. Sam nodded slowly, still processing the information. "Keeps comin' up doesn't it?" Sam asked. Dean's eyebrows knitted together. "You know what I was thinking?" Dean asked his brother, "You heard of the _Flying Dutchman_?" Sam nodded. "Yeah," he replied, "A ghost ship infused with the captain's evil spirit. Basically a part of him."

Dean nodded. "Yeah," he responded, "So what if we're dealing with the same thing? You know, a phantom truck that's an extension of some bastard ghost, re-enacting past crimes." Sam nodded. "The victims have all been black men," Sam replied. Dean thought for a moment. "It's more then that," he told his brother, "They all seem to be connected to Cassie and her family."

"Alright," Sam replied, "Well, you work with that angle. Go talk to her." Dean snuck a glance at his brother. "Yeah," he responded, "I will." Sam smiled slightly, before schooling his face back to blank. "Oh," Sam began, "And you might want to mention that other thing." Dean stopped at the car. "What other thing?" he asked, facing his brother. Sam kept his face passively blank. "The serious unfinished business," Sam quipped, "Dean, what is going on between you two?"

Dean sighed. "Alright," he said, "Maybe we were a little bit more involved than I said." Sam shrugged. "Oh, okay," Sam said nonchalantly, "Yeah." Dean sighed once more, rolling his eyes. He knew Sam wouldn't give up until he got answers. "Okay," Dean bit out, "A lot more. Maybe." Sam laughed at his brother's closed nature toward emotions. "And I told her the secret about what we do when I shouldn't have," Dean grumbled. Sam gazed at his brother softly, knowing how much it cost him to admit this much. "No," Sam soothed, "Look man. Everybody's gotta open up to someone, sometime."

"Yeah," Dean growled, "I don't. It was stupid to get that close, and look how it ended." Sam smiled knowingly, staring at his brother. "Would you stop?" Dean snapped, only making Sam stare more. "Blink or something," Dean remarked. He hated emotions and the vulnerability they made him feel. "You loved her," Sam replied, gazing at his brother in a new light. Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh god," he sighed, as he started opening his door. Sam couldn't stop staring at his brother. "You were in love with her," Sam began, just loud enough for Dean to hear, "But you dumped her." Dean glared at him and shook his head. "Oh, wow," Sam sighed, "She dumped you." Dean pulled the door open, throwing himself into the car, this conversation was really starting to piss him off. "Get in the car," Dean barked, but Sam didn't move. "Get in the car!" Dean barked out again, firmer this time. Sam climbed in, staring at his brother in shock.

Dean strode up the stairs to Cassie's door, knocking on the wooden frame. "Dean, hey," Cassie cried out as she opened the door and saw him standing before her. "Hey," Dean replied. "Come on in," Cassie invited, waiting for him to enter before closing the door. "So," Dean began, "Are you busy?"

"Uh, the paper's doing a tribute to Jimmy," she replied, "I was just going through his stuff. His awards. Trying to find the words." Dean nodded, leaning against a support post. "That's gotta be tough," he told her. Cassie leant against the support post opposite to Dean. "For years," Cassie began, "This family owned the paper, the Dorians. They had a whites only staff policy. After they sold it, Jimmy became the first black reporter. He didn't stop till he became editor. He taught me everything. Where's your brother?" Dean stared at Cassie. "Not here," he replied awkwardly. He knew coming here by himself was a bad idea. "Alright," Cassie submitted, "So, uh, what brings you here?"

"Trying to find the connection between the three victims," Dean replied, "By the way, did you talk to your mom about what Todd said about not being a racist?" Cassie nodded a yes. "I did, she replied, "She didn't wanna talk about it."

"Right," Dean began, trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen, "So, just then, um, why'd you ask where my brother was?" Cassie tried to break his gaze, while he studied her for answers. "Nothing," Cassie muttered, "Not important."

Dean snorted softly. "Could it be because without him here, it's just you and me?" He asked, "And not you, me, and Sam, which would be easier?" Cassie gave him a reproachful glare. "It's not easier," She told him. Dean's face fell, showing her a small glimpse of how broken he was, "Look, I-." Dean cut her off before she could stab the knife any deeper into his heart. "No, forget it," he bit out, "It's fine. We'll keep it strictly business." Cassie laughed coldly at him, her eyes wandering over his form once more, before slumping back against the post. "I forgot you do that," she threw at him. Anger flared slightly in Dean's eyes. "Do what?" he snapped back.

"Oh," Cassie smiled bitterly, "Whenever we get, what's the word, close? Anywhere in the neighbourhood of emotional vulnerability, you back off. Or make some joke, or find any way to shut the door on me." Dean stared at her for a minute before laughing coldly at her accusation. "Oh," Dean snapped back, "That's hilarious. See, I'm not the one who took that big final door and slammed it behind me." Cassie's eyes narrowed, seeing that he was pinning it back on her. "Wait a minute," she broke in, but Dean cut her off before she could continue her thought any further. "And I'm not the one who took the key and buried it," Dean continued. Cassie rolled her eyes. "Are we done with this metaphor?" she asked.

Dean sighed. "All I'm saying," Dean replied, "Is that I was totally upfront with you back then, and you nailed me with it." Cassie stared at him incredulously. It was her turn to laugh coldly. "The guy I'm with," she began, "The guy I'm hoping might be in my future, tells me he professionally pops ghosts." Dean was slightly taken aback by her statement, but still rolled his eyes. "That's not the words I used," he spat back at her, almost daring her to continue. "And that he has to leave to go work with his father," Cassie continued, eyes burning through Dean. "I did," Dean replied, shrugging.

"All I could think was if you want out, fine, but don't tell me this insane story," Cassie explained. "It was the truth, Cassie," Dean cried, "And I notice it didn't sound so insane the minute you thought I could help you!" Cassie glared at Dean reproachfully. She couldn't believe he was spinning this back on her. "Back then," she shouted, "I thought you just wanted to dump me." Dean's eyes widened. "Whoa," he blinked, "Let's not forget who dumped who, okay?"

"I thought that was what you wanted," Cassie told him, trying to get him to understand her point of view. "Well," Dean bit out, "It wasn't." Cassie noticed a glimmer of his pain shine through his gaze. "I didn't mean to hurt you," she told him, her own gaze softening with every word. Dean glanced up. "Well, you did," he admitted, hating the emotional cost it had taken to say those words alone. "I'm sorry," Cassie responded, hoping he could see just how cut up she'd been about their break up. "Yeah," Dean replied, "Me too." Their eyes met for a brief moment, before Dean pulled her into his arms, kissing her with all the passion he could.

Dean lay in bed, and even though Cassie was beside him, he couldn't help thinking about having one of Selene's home-cooked breakfasts. Sam was right, the girl was magic in the kitchen. Dean bet that she could open up her own restaurant if she wanted.

Cassie turned to face Dean. "We should fight more often," she murmured, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Absolutely," he replied, earning a laugh from Cassie. She smiled softly at him. "Actually," she began, "We were always pretty good at fighting," Dean grunted his agreement before Cassie continued, "This we were good at," indicating what they had just done. Dean smiled and Cassie continued, "It's all the other stuff...not so much."

"Hey," Dean replied defensively, "I tried. I mean, I told you who I really was. That's a big first for me." Cassie regarded him for a moment, her eyes wandering his face, before her eyebrows knitted together. "Why did you tell me?" she asked. Dean sighed, he knew she'd ask this question eventually. "I don't know," he told her, "I guess I couldn't lie to you."

"Dean," Cassie began, "You told me that story-and it scared the hell outta me. I thought you were nuts. Dangerous, even," she sat up, watching his reaction, "Actually, maybe I was looking for a reason to walk away." Dean glanced around, wondering how to reply to a statement like that. "In my work," he told her, "I see some horrible things. Things that can't be explained. And I deal with them. But working things out with you?"

Cassie laughed. "I'm a scary one alright," she smiled, earning a chuckled from him, "Well, usually, things get worked out. When you really want them to." She gave him a pointed look. "Yeah," Dean agreed, "But I'm still really involved in my dad's work." Cassie shook her head. "No more excuses, okay?" She asked, "From you or me." Dean smiled, glad to have finally worked something out with her. "Okay," he agreed, easing his mouth over hers, only to have his phone ring. Dean broke away, pulling out his phone. "Yeah?" he answered, "You're kidding."

Dean walked down a road, walking towards Sam, who was busy with a police officer. He could see Selene in the background, walking around inside a taped off area. The police seemed to have learnt their mistakes because none tried to stop her. The officer walked away, leaving Sam free. "Where were you last night?" Sam asked. Not receiving a response, he continued, smiling, "You didn't make it back to the motel." Dean kept his face as blank as possible, given that all he wanted to do was smile. "Nope," he replied nonchalantly, hoping to drive his brother off the scent.

"I'm guessing you worked things out?" Sam asked, his brother's non-caring attitude not fooling him for a second. "We'll be working things out when we're ninety," Dean replied. Sam laughed while Selene made her way over, her investigation complete.

Reaching the boys, her nose was assaulted by another scent. "That's disgusting," she scolded Dean, earning her an inquiring glance from him, "What? You couldn't have a shower or something before coming?" Dean and Sam shared a look, before Dean turned back to the demon, still not knowing where this was coming from. "I can smell every part of your body her HANDS touched, let alone everything else. I can't believe you mated with that...that...argh! I'm so disgusted I can't even find the right words."

Dean's eyes widened in shock. She could smell that? "So does this mean that when we solve this case, you're staying here?" Selene asked, "Or does she come with us?" Sam touched her shoulder gingerly. "Selene," he asked, "What do you mean? Why would Dean leave?"

Selene turned her glare to Sam. "You mean you can't smell it?" she asked. Sam shook his head. "Dean mated that woman last night," Selene explained, "And mates don't leave their mates behind. So either he's staying, or she's coming." Sam placed his hand gently on her shoulder, rubbing gently with his thumb. "Dean's not going anywhere," Sam told her softly.

"Great," Selene spat out bitterly, "Just great. That means me, the girl who used to slay demons daily, has been demoted to babysitter." Dean watched with shock as he felt the anger rolling off her small form. "You know," Dean interrupted, "You've been cold, distant and bitchy ever since we got here. So why don't you tell us the real reason behind all this?"

Selene turned to face him. "You want the real reason?" she asked, her voice breaking with anger, "I don't like her. I don't like what she did to you, and I don't like the way she's using you. She left you because she couldn't handle who or what you are, but the second she needs help, you come racing back, with your tail between your legs like an apologetic puppy."

Dean felt like he'd been slapped. She'd smashed her fist down on a raw nerve he'd been toying with since he first received Cassie's call. "Yeah?" Dean replied, "Well I think you shouldn't discuss things you don't know about. You don't know anything that's happened between myself and Cassie, so why don't you just butt out of other people's lives. I don't even know why I agreed to let you join us. You're more trouble then you're worth."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he instantly regretted them. Selene's features schooled themselves to a blank look. Her bright, ever-expressive eyes were hollow and dead. She looked so broken, and Dean knew this was just a glimpse of how shattered her soul must be.

"As you wish it," she whispered, just loud enough to the brothers to hear, before walking in the direction of the motel. Sam took one glance at Dean's face before racing after her. "You don't have to go," Sam told her, "Dean, he didn't mean that. Please, just come back and we'll talk things over."

Selene stopped walking and faced him, her face an impassively blank mask. "Yes, he did Sam," she replied, "Part of him doesn't want me here, and I will respect his wishes. You know my number Sam. Call me if you ever need someone to talk to." Sam watched her begin to walk away. "Where will you go?" He asked her retreating form. Selene turned to face him once more. "I haven't been home for a while," she replied, "I think I'll visit my father's grave."

Sam watched her walk away, her form blending seamlessly with the trees. Sighing heavily, he returned to his brother's side. "Hey," Sam wandered, "You think she might actually have feeling for you?" Dean glared at his brother. Why on earth would Selene have feeling for him? "Other then as her verbal punching bag," Dean replied, "Not a chance. So," Dean asked, trying to break the uneasy silence between them, "What happened?"

Sam sighed again. Trust his brother to cover anything that even came close to emotional vulnerability with work. "Every bone crushed," Sam began, recounting every detail the police had told him.

Dean left Sam to do more research with Cassie, while Sam made his way to the docks. They met back at the motel later that night, only to find more proof that Selene was truly gone. Most of her clothes were there, except her black velvets. All her weapons were missing too. Even so, both brothers glanced out the window more then once that night, hoping to see the silhouetted form of her seated in the branches of the tree outside.

At least the whole day hadn't been a complete waste. They had discovered the key to the murders. Cyrus Dorian. Turns out the Mayor had bulldozed the Dorians' old house, and the murders had started the next day.

That night, Dean received a phone call from a distressed Cassie. The truck had turned up outside her house. Grabbing Sam, Dean drove for Cassie's, hoping he would reach her on time.

Sam busied himself making tea while Dean, Cassie and her mother sat down. Dean started pressing Mrs Robinson for answers that would lead to a connection with their family. It was only the threat that Cassie and herself had been marked as the next targets that forced her judgement.

Mrs Robinson told them all about how she'd been dating Cyrus, and her husband. When she broke it off with Cyrus, he'd found out about Martin. Afterwards there had been rumours of black people disappearing in a truck, but nothing had been done about it.

She told them how she and Martin had been planning on getting married in a little church nearby, but had decided to elope because they didn't want the attention. The day they had set for their wedding, was the day that someone had set fire to the church. The entire building had fallen victim to the flames, and taken the children's choir that had been rehearsing inside with it.

Then, one night, the truck had come for Martin. Cyrus beat Martin mercilessly, until Martin cracked. Martin fought back, and continued to strike Cyrus until he died. Instead of calling the police, Martin had called on his friends, Clayton Solmes and Jimmy Anderson. The three placed Cyrus's body in the truck and rolled it into the swamp on the edge of his land. Not a single one of them had spoken about that night to anyone since. The Mayor had found out about Cyrus's death, but done nothing to prosecute the three men because he also knew what Cyrus had done.

Dean and Sam made their way out to the swamp to fish Cyrus's truck and body out. Hooking the truck up to his car, Dean revved his engine, slowly dragging the vehicle from the muck. Once the entire thing had been hauled from the water, Dean stopped, hopping out to take a look.

Sam ran to the car, gathering gas and a flashlight. Opening the door, the brothers extracted Cyrus's body, laying it on a nearby table. Dean and Sam began pouring salt and gas all over the carcass. Standing back to watch it burn, their eyes widened when they heard the sound of a truck's engine roaring to life.

"So burning the body had no effect?" Sam asked his brother, staring at the apparition before them. "Oh sure it did," Dean replied, "Now it's really pissed." Dean leapt into his car, telling Sam he was going to go for a little ride while Sam burnt the truck, tossing him a bag full of various items.

Dean drove as fast as he could, leading the truck as far away from his brother as possible, while Sam searched frantically through their father's journal. Finally gaining inspiration, Sam called Cassie briefly before calling his brother.

Following his brother's directions, Dean turned down Decatur Road, and drove seven-tenths of a mile. Stopping exactly where his brother ordered, Dean spun the car around. The truck stopped, revving its engine, before tearing towards Dean. Just as the truck was about to touch Dean's car, it disappeared.

"Dean?" Sam's worried voice sounded from the phone, "You still there? Dean?" Dean picked up his phone. "Where did it go?" Dean asked incredulously, glancing around for any sign of the truck. Dean had stopped exactly where the church had once stood.

While the church was no more, it was still hallowed ground, and when evil spirits pass over hallowed ground, sometimes the purity of the area destroys them. Furious that his brother had sent him there on a hunch, Dean slammed his hand against the steering wheel before driving back to his brother.

Sam waited at the dock, while Dean and Cassie made their way over to the car. "My mother says to tell you thanks again," She told Dean, who nodded, "This is a better goodbye than last time." Dean stopped by the car, turning to Cassie.

"Yeah," he replied, "Well, maybe this time it'll be a little less permanent." Cassie sighed softly. "You know what?" she asked him, "I'm a realist. I don't see much hope for us Dean." Dean turned away, looking slightly disappointed by her comment, before turning back to her. "Well," he replied, "I've seen stranger things happen. A hell of a lot stranger."

Cassie smiled sadly. "Goodbye Dean," she told him firmly. Dean nodded, taking the hint. "I'll see ya, Cassie," Dean replied, "I will." Never being good with words, Dean pulled Cassie close, kissing her deeply, before he and Sam climbed into the car, driving off towards their next mission.

I'm sorry...but I'm just not a 'Cassie' fan.

Please review if you want me to continue posting.

May your thoughts and creativity flow,

Lady Ami DragonHeart


	6. Spica and Silver Bullets

Well, it's beena while, but here's the next instalment. I hope you all like it.

Sam sighed, It had been a month since Selene left. Dean had switched to auto-pilot when it came to their hunts, although whether the cause was Selene's leaving, or having to say goodbye to Cassie, Sam didn't know. Every so often, Sam got a glimpse of the real Dean, but that would pass as quickly as a shadow across the moon.

To tell the truth, Sam had been feeling Selene's leaving weighing on his heart too, but at least he had Sundays, which was more then he could say for Dean. Sunday was the day Sam called Selene. He'd tell her the latest case they were working on. She'd offer suggestions on how to destroy it. She'd tell him about what she was up to.

Selene was still near her home town, but couldn't bring herself to live there. She stayed nearby so she could visit her father's grave. Nothing could make her stay in the town though, she still felt a deep sense of betrayal.

Sam smiled slightly. Tomorrow was Sunday, the highlight of his week. The one time he didn't have to worry about Dean, or spectres or ghosts. Flicking the light off, he settled in to sleep, drifting off slowly.

His eyes started flickering behind closed lids as a sudden nightmare took over. Seeing a man dying, Sam suddenly leapt out of bed, shaking Dean awake as he hurriedly threw clothes in a bag. Grabbing his brother, Sam raced out the door and into the car, driving towards the scene of his nightmare.

As they drove to Michigan, Sam made a call to check on the licence plate he'd seen in his dream. Dean spent the entire drive trying to assure Sam that it was just a freaky dream, and the licence plate wouldn't check out. Dean's jaw dropped when he heard the licence belonged to a Jim Miller in Saginaw, Michigan.

When they reached the address, Sam and Dean watched as a body was brought out on a stretcher. Police cars and Ambulance swarmed around the area, keeping most of the public at bay. Driving past, Dean looked for a spot to park his car.

Dean and Sam walked around the perimeter of the police barrier, talking to various observers as they went. Jim had been found inside the garage, locked in his car, with the engine running. Dean stared at Sam. The death had been exactly like his dream.

Sam stormed back to the car, Dean following behind. Dean could see Sam was upset with the situation, and himself. Sam couldn't understand why he received a premonition, when he couldn't do anything to save the victim. Worried, Dean bundled his brother into the car, promising they'd return the next day to check for answers.

"This has got to be a whole new low for us," Sam told his brother, as Dean rang the doorbell. A man opened the door and gazed at Sam and Dean, dressed as ministers. "Good afternoon," Dean smiled, "I'm Father Simmons, and this," he said, indicating his brother, "Is Father Frehley. We're new junior priests over at St Augustine's. May we come in?" Sam fought the urge to roll his eyes at his brother's scam. The man stood aside to let them enter, closing the door behind them.

The man left shortly, and a woman came to greet them. Introducing herself as Jim's wife, she sat down to talk to the brothers. After hearing that her son, Max, had been the one to find the body, Sam offered to go and speak to the boy. A thankful Mrs Miller watched as Sam strode over to the upset youth.

Dean focused his attentions on Mrs Miller, gently probing for information on Jim and the house. Under the excuse of needing the bathroom, Dean made his way upstairs to check for any signs of paranormal involvement. Checking the scanned, Dean heard someone heading in his direction. Stuffing the device away, he turned to see his brother turn into the hallway. "Anything?" Sam asked. Dean sighed, glad it was his brother who'd caught him and not one of the deceased's family. "Zip," he replied.

Sam sat at his laptop, researching the area while Dean had a shower, when his phone rang. "Hey," Sam smiled, knowing who would be on the other end. Maybe she knew something that could help. 'Hey yourself, stranger,' Selene replied, 'I was beginning to think you'd lost my number.' Sam grinned. It wasn't until he heard her voice that he realise just how much he missed her.

"How could I forget you?" Sam asked, "Actually I was out with Dean. I had a premonition of a guy dying, which turned out to be true, but I couldn't get there in time. I can't help wondering why I got this vision if there was nothing I could do to help." Selene pondered this new information.

'Did you stop to think that maybe you weren't mean to help him?' Selene asked, 'Maybe this man's death was inconsequential. The Ties of Fate bind us all. Maybe you're meant to be there, but not for him. There has to be something bigger, something you haven't factored in yet. Once you find the missing piece, the rest of the puzzle will snap into place.'

Sam sighed. He missed this. He missed the way Selene could make him feel at ease. The way she seemed to know exactly what weighed on his mind, and how she always knew how to take it away.

"Still," Sam continued, "I just get his bad feeling that something is after this family." Selene sighed softly. 'You mean you want to watch them,' she replied, 'You want to be able to guard over them. Make sure that what ever you think is after them doesn't get another chance.' Sam sighed heavily. "I wish I could," Sam replied, "But in order to get to the bottom of this, Dean and I need to do the ground work. I wish I had the resources, but we don't."

'Don't worry so much,' Selene's soothing voice told him, 'You'll give yourself wrinkles. Everything will sort itself out. When something effects the balance, the world will find a way to correct itself. Without 'Shadow', there is no concept of 'Light'. You will find a way Sam. I have faith in you, now you just need to have faith in yourself.'

Sam smiled as he hung up the phone. For a demon, Selene sure was an angel in disguise. "Who was that?" Dean asked, sitting on the bed while he cleaned his weapons. Sam shook his head. "No one," Sam replied, turning back to his laptop.

"It sounded like a close friend," Dean responded, wondering why his brother was keeping secrets from him. Sam sighed. "It was Selene," he replied, turning back to face his brother. Dean's face was painted with pain. "So, what?" Dean asked, "She just called out of the blue?" Sam shook his head. "We've been in contact since she left," Sam replied, "We decided that we'd check up on each other once a week. Every Sunday. She gave me her number, and told me to call if I ever needed someone to talk to."

"She gave you her number," Dean re-iterated, feeling slightly betrayed, "So why didn't she give it to me? Were you just going to keep on calling her and not even tell me?" Sam grimaced. He knew Dean would be hurt when he found out, but he had thought that it was Selene's job to give Dean her number if she wanted to talk to him.

"Look," Sam muttered, trying to sooth Dean's raw nerves, "The night you stayed at Cassie's, I came home to find two servings of dinner waiting beside the microwave. Selene was outside, sitting in the tree. She'd made you dinner, and you didn't come home. I woke up to find Selene standing against the wall, staring at the door. I think she'd waited up all night for you to return. She didn't even notice I was there until I touched her shoulder.

"She gave me her number that morning. I think she must've bought a phone the previous day when she walked out. She probably would've given it to you too, but you two had the huge fight. When you pushed her away, I think she felt like you didn't want to talk to her. That you didn't count her as a friend.

"Every time I've spoken to her and tried to bring you or that day into the conversation, she changes the subject. She's really sneaky too, I don't even realise she's done it until after I hang up. I think it's still too painful for her. Your rejection hurt her, really deeply."

"Next time you talk to her," Dean told him, "Tell her I said 'hi'. So, what do you have?" Sam launched into his findings. Nothing bad had happened to the house since it had been built, and the land itself was clean. No graveyards, burial sites, nothing. Dean had scanned the house and hadn't found a single trace of demonic, spiritual or any other paranormal residue in the house. Just as Sam was exploring the concept of the possibility of everything connecting to Jim instead of the house, his head erupted with pain as another vision took hold.

Sam looked up at his brother, sweating and panting. "It's happening again," Sam breathed heavily, "Something's gonna kill Roger Miller." Dean leapt into action, grabbing his brother as he raced to the car. Checking for Roger's address, Dean drove them there as fast as he could.

Pulling up outside Roger's apartment, the brothers saw Roger walking across the street with a bagful of groceries. Sam sang out, trying to get his attention, while the two made their way over to Roger. Annoyed by their presence, Roger told them rather shortly to 'get lost', before entering his apartment building and closing the door, making sure to lock the door.

Sam and Dean tried to warn him about Sam's dream, but Roger walked away and didn't return. Glancing around, Dean grabbed his brother. "Come on!" Dean cried, racing around to the alley beside the apartment building, "Come on, come on!"

Their feet pounded down the alley until the boys reached a fire escape. They climbed flight after flight, racing up the stairs, until they heard a sudden slamming sound. Clambering up one last flight of stairs, the Winchester brothers stopped dead in their tracks, staring at a window pane, splattered with blood.

Dean pulled a couple of rags out of his pocket, handing one to Sam. "Here," Dean told him, "Start wiping down your fingerprints. We don't want the cops to know we were here. Go. Go, come on." Looking a little green, Sam began to rub the rag down the railing. "I'm gonna take a look inside," Dean told his brother, opening another window and climbing in. Sam took a quick glance at the blood soaked glass, cringing slightly while resisting the urge to throw up.

Walking back on to the street, the brothers headed towards their car. "I'm tellin' you," Dean murmured to Sam, "There was nothing in there. There's no signs either, just like the Millers' house." Sam shook his head, he knew there was something not quite right here. "I saw something in the vision," Sam replied, "Like a dark shape. Something was stalking Roger." Dean pondered the information for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly. "Well," Dean remarked, "Whatever it was, we can be sure it's not connected to their house."

"No," Sam agreed, "It's connected to the family itself. So what do you think we got? A vengeful spirit?" Finally reaching Dean's car, both boys climbed inside. Dean nodded slowly. "Yeah," Dean concurred, "There's a few that have been known to latch on to families, follow 'em for years." Sam nodded. He just wished Selene were here to give her input. "Banshees," Sam stated.

"Basically like a curse," Dean countered, "So maybe Roger and Jim Miller got involved in something heavy. Something curse-worthy." Sam sighed. Why did bad things always happen to good people? "And now something's out for revenge," Sam commented, "And the men in their family are dying. Hey, you think Max is in danger?" Dean glanced at his brother. "Let's figure it out before he is," he replied, starting the engine.

"Well," Sam shrugged, "I know one thing I have in common with these people." Dean glanced at his brother. "What's that?" he asked, leaving the engine running. Sam smiled grimly. "Both our families are cursed," Sam stated.

"Our family is not cursed," Dean replied firmly, "We just…had our dark spots." Sam laughed. "Our dark spots are pretty dark," Sam informed his brother. Dean's eyebrows twitched together. "You're…dark," he finished lamely before driving away from Roger's apartment.Pulling up outside the Millers' house, Sam's eyes wandered to a black motorbike parked in the driveway. "That wasn't there yesterday," Sam commented, drawing Dean's attention to the vehicle. Dean's eyes glazed over with desire as he took in the highly polished black metal and luxurious leather seat.

"Oh," Dean groaned out, "Daddy would love to take you out for a spin. I'd also like to meet your owner, bend her over and give her a spanking she'd never forget. But only if she was cute of course."

Sam glared at his brother incredulously. "How do you know the owner's female?" He asked his brother. Dean smirked, pointing to the rims. "No guy would have neon purple rims," Dean informed him, "Combine that with the sexy, sleek, stylish piece you have in front of you, and you can bet the rider is every guy's wet dream."

Picking up the pair of ladies' leather gloves resting beside the helmet, Dean smirked once more. "I can also tell you she'd be a little shorter then me, slim, and has delicate little hands," Dean continued, "And has a taste for leather. I'm liking this girl more and more." Sam grabbed the gloves out of his brother's hands, placing them back down on the bike. "If you're done drooling over the gloves," Sam replied, "Can we get back to what we're supposed to be doing here."

Once inside the Millers' house, Dean and Sam began talking to Max. "My mum's resting," he told them, "She's pretty wrecked." Dean and Sam nodded sympathetically. "Of course," Dean replied. Max began to shake slightly with anger, as he walked with them to the dining room. "All these people kept coming with, like, casseroles," Max spat out, "I finally had to tell them all to go away." His hand swept over the room, indicating the table loaded with casseroles. "You know," Max bit out, "'Cause nothing says 'I'm sorry' like a tuna casserole." Both brothers laughed at that statement.

"Can't complain too much though," Max continued, "At least we got a new house keeper out of it. Spica. She arrived this morning. Told us she wanted to help, and that she'd stay until we were back on our feet.

"Mum, hasn't been the best. She's too shattered to really do anything. But Spica zips around the house, and everything's spotless. She does all the cooking, cleaning and shopping. And she's not too bad to look at either." Dean smirked at the last comment. "She the owner of the bike out front?" Dean asked. Max nodded, making Dean smirk at Sam, having proof that the mysterious owner was indeed a 'hottie'.

"Where is Spica?" Dean asked, "We wouldn't mind speaking with her if possible." Sam fought the urge to roll his eyes. He knew exactly what kind of 'discussion' Dean would like to have with this 'mystery girl'. "Can't help you there," Max replied, "She's out shopping for groceries."

"How you holdin' up?" Sam asked, staring at Max intently. Max shrugged slightly. "I'm okay," he replied. Dean nodded slowly, letting Sam do the talking. Sam was better at gaining people's trust anyway. "Your dad and your uncle were close?" Sam asked. Max shrugged once more. "Yeah," he replied, "I guess. I mean, they were brothers. They used to hang out all the time when I was little." Sam's eyebrows twitched together slightly. "But not much lately?" Sam inquired.

"No, it's not like that," Max reassured them, "It's just…we used to be neighbours when I was a kid. And we lived across town in this house, and Uncle Roger lived next door, so he was over all the time." Sam smiled encouragingly at the boy, before continuing his questions. "Right," Sam acknowledged, "So how was it in that house when you were a kid?" Max glanced between Sam and Dean inquisitively, not knowing where they were taking it. "It was fine," he told them, "Why?"

"All good memories?" Dean asked, cutting in to Sam's inquisition, "Do you remember anything unusual? Something involving your father and your uncle maybe?" Max's gaze flicked between the brothers. "What do you…why do you ask? Max asked, looking slightly flustered. "Just a question," Dean shrugged.

"No," Max replied in an emotionless tone, "There was nothing. We were totally normal. Happy." Dean nodded, not believing the boy before him for a moment. He obviously knew of something happening. "Good," Dean replied, "That's good. Well, you must be exhausted. We should take off." Sam glanced inquiringly at his brother before taking the hint. "Right," Sam agreed, "Thanks." Max glanced between the brothers before shrugging. "Yeah," he muttered.

"Nobody's family is totally normal and happy," Dean told his brother as they walked to his car, "Did you see when he was talkin' about his old house?" Sam thought back a little. "Sounded scared," Sam commented. Dean nodded solemnly to his brother, smiling grimly. "Yeah," Dean replied, "Max isn't tellin' us everything. I say we go find the old neighbourhood and find out what life was really like at the Millers'."

Dean and Sam walked down the street of Max's old neighbourhood, before finally coming to Max's old house. Noticing a man outside his house, Sam and Dean strode over. "Have you lived in the neighbourhood very long?" Sam asked the man. He glanced at the two boys before replying. "Yeah," he told them, "Almost twenty years now. It's nice and quiet. Why, you lookin' to buy?"

Sam shook his head. "No, no," He told the man, "We were just wondering if you might recall a family that used to live right across the street, I believe." Dean took that as his cue to jump in. "Yeah," he remarked, "The Millers. They had a little boy named Max." Sam nodded his agreement. "Right," Sam confirmed. The man looked distressed by something.

"Yeah," the man told them, pointing to the house next to the Miller's old residence "I remember. The brother had the place next door. So, uh, what'd this about? That poor kid okay?" Sam glanced inquiringly at the man. "What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well," the man replied, "In my life, I've never seen a child treated like that. I mean, I'd hear Mr. Miller yellin' and throwin' things clear across the street. He was a mean drunk. He used to beat the tar out of Max. Bruises...broke his arm two times that I know of." Sam and Dean's faced were that of disbelief and shock. "And this was going on regularly?" Sam inquired.

The man nodded. "Practically every day," he told them, while Sam's face became on of disgust, "In fact, that thug brother of his was just as likely to take a swing at the boy. But the worst part was the stepmother. She'd just stand there, checked out, never lifted a finger to protect him. I must have called the police seven or eight times. Never did any good." Sam digested the information. "Now," Dean cut in, "You said stepmother."

The man nodded. "I think his real mum died," the man told them, "Some sort of accident. A car accident, I think. Are you okay there?" he asked Sam, who had begun to clutch his head in pain, his breathing quickly becoming sharp and rapid. "Yeah," Sam grunted out.

"Thanks for your time," Dean told the man, staring at his brother worriedly. Sam winced slightly. "Yeah," he muttered, "Thank you." Dean grabbed his brother, supporting him as they made their way back to his car, when Sam suddenly stopped, his eyes gazing blankly.

"Max is doing it," Sam told his brother as they drove towards the Millers', "Everything I've been seeing." Dean glanced at his brother, worried for his health, and what strains such visions were placing on him emotionally. "You sure about this?" Dean asked, wanting to clear all the facts. Sam nodded. "Yeah," Sam replied, I saw."

"How's he pullin' it off?" Dean asked. He was sure Max had no demonic auras or bad spirits hanging around him. "I don't know," Sam replied, "It looked like telekinesis." Dean's eyebrows twitched together. "So he's psychic?" Dean asked, "He's a spoon-bender?"

"I didn't even realize it," Sam bit out, berating himself, "But this whole time he was there. He was outside of the garage when his dad died, he was in the apartment when his uncle died. These visions, this whole time, I wasn't connecting to the Millers, I was connecting to Max. The thing I don't get is why, man? I guess because we're so alike?" Dean stared at his brother in disbelief. "What are you talking about?" he retorted, "The dude's nothing like you."

"Well," Sam replied, "We both have psychic abilities. We're both-" Dean cut his little brother off before he could take that train of thought any further. "Both what?" Dean asked impatiently, "Sam, Max is a monster. He's already killed two people, and now he's gunnin' for a third."

"Well," Sam replied, "With what he went through...the beatings. To want revenge on those people, I'm sorry man, I hate to say it, but it's not that insane." Dean acknowledged his brother's reason. "Yeah," Dean retorted, "But it doesn't justify murdering your entire family." Sam glared at his brother. "Dean-" he started, only to have Dean cut him off.

"He's no different than anything else we've hunted," Dean replied, "Alright, we've gotta end him." He pulled over outside the Millers' house, turning the ignition off. Sam stared at his brother in disbelief. "We're not gonna kill Max," Sam stated firmly. Dean fought the urge to roll his eyes at his brother's naivety. "Then what?" Dean asked, 'I hand him over to the cops and say, 'Lock him up, officer, he kills with the power of his mind'."

"Forget it," Sam told him, "No way man." This time Dean did roll his eyes. How could Sam not see the threat Max posed? "Sam-" Dean tried to reason with his brother, only to have Sam cut him off. "Dean," Sam told him firmly, "He's a person. We can talk to him. Hey, promise me you'll follow my lead on this one."

Dean paused momentarily before sighing. "Alright," Dean replied, "Fine. But I'm not lettin' him hurt anybody else." Sam watched as Dean reached into the glove box, pulling out a gun. Checking his ammo, he stepped out of the car, tucking the weapon into the waistband of his jeans. Covering the handle with his jacket, Dean walked over to the Millers' door with Sam at his side.

Dean and Sam burst through the front door, surprising Max and Mrs Miller in the kitchen. "Fathers?" Mrs Miller exclaimed, glad to have someone there to distract Max from her. "What are you doing here?" Max asked, a little shaken to be almost caught with the knife. "Uh, sorry to interrupt," Dean told them, giving them a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Max," Sam began, "Could we, uh…could we talk to you outside for just one second?" Both brothers tried to display a comforting air, while hiding their relief that Mrs Miller was still alive. "About what?" Max asked.

"It's…It's private," Sam told him, "I wouldn't wanna bother your mother with it. We won't be long at all, though. I promise." Max glanced to his stepmother, who gazed at him uncertainly. "Okay," Max finally agreed. Besides, Sam was actually nice to him, and he could just wait until the next time Spica left to do the shopping. "Great," Sam replied, giving Max a small smile.

Max walked over to join Sam and Dean, while Dean opened the front door. Max's eyes flicked over to the mirror in the hallway, where he caught sight of the gun's handle sticking out of Dean's jeans. Dean felt the door tug out of his grasp, slamming shut, along with all the windows around the house.

"You're not priests!" Max cried, staring opening at Sam and Dean. Turning to face the boy, Dean whipped the gun out of his pants, aiming at Max. Dean's eyes widened as the gun pulled away from his fingers, floating over to max before turning around and facing the two boys.

"Max," Mrs Miller cried out, "What's happening?" Max's eyes flickered over to her, but his main focus remained on the brothers. "Shut up!" he yelled at her. Mrs Miller's eyes took in the gun. "What are you doing?" she asked. Max's head jerked towards her, and Mrs Miller was suddenly lifted of her feet and thrust backwards, slamming against the kitchen counter before collapsing on the floor.

"I said shut up!" Max screamed, not even wincing as his stepmother's body fell limply to the ground. "Max," Sam started, "Calm down!" Max's eyes turned to Sam, glaring at him. "Who are you?" Max ordered. Sam and Dean shared a quick glance before Sam attempted to calm Max down. "We just wanna talk to you," Sam told the boy. Max glared at him sceptically. "Yeah," Max mocked, indicating the gun, "Right. That's why you brought this!"

"That was a mistake," Sam replied, "Alright? So was lying about who we were. But no more lying Max, okay? Just please…just hear me out." Max regarded Sam momentarily. Even though his brother had brought a gun in, Sam was still looking out for Max's best interests. "About what?" Max asked. Sam sighed internally, thankful that Max was willing to hear him out. "I saw you do it," Sam told him, "I saw you kill your dad, and your uncle before it happened."

"What?" Max asked. Whatever he'd been expecting Sam to say, this hadn't been anywhere near close. "I'm having visions Max," Sam told him, "About you." If he didn't have a gun pointed at him, Dean would've laughed. The conversation was slowly becoming worthy of a spot on the X-files. "You're crazy," Max told him. "So, you weren't gonna launch a knife at your step-mum?" Sam asked, pointing to his eye, "Right here? Is it that hard to believe Max? Look at what you can do. Max I was drawn here alright? I think I'm here to help you." Max and Dean both stared at him in disbelief. "No one can help me!" Max cried.

"Let me try," Sam pleaded, "We'll just talk. Me and You. We'll get Dean and Alice out of here." Hearing Sam's statement Dean felt the need to interject his own thoughts. "Nah-uh," Dean shook his head, "No way." Sam held up his index finger to silence his brother, when the light fixture above them began to shake violently. "Nobody leaves this house!" Max yelled. "And nobody has to," Sam soothed, "Alright? They'll just go upstairs." Dean shook his head. "Sam," he growled out, "I'm not leavin' you alone with him."

"Yes you are," Sam told his brother quietly but firmly before turning his attention back to Max, "Look Max, You're in charge here, alright? We all know that. No one's gonna do anything that you don't want to, but I'm talkin' five minutes here man." Dean couldn't believe his brother's trust.

"Sam," Dean began, when the sound of keys hitting the kitchen bench drew his attention. "Mrs Miller," a soft voice spoke, "Have you been cooking again? You know you shouldn't cook in your state. You always end up cutting yourself." Without even thinking, Max turned the gun towards the kitchen, firing off two shots.

Glancing towards the kitchen, Max's eyes grew wide. "Spica," he gasped when he saw who was standing in the kitchen. "Selene!" Sam and Dean cried as they saw one bullet rip through her stomach, while another bit into her chest. Her body bent into a graceful arch, before limply crumpling to the floor. A soft, porcelain wrist rested on the tiles, the only part of her body visible as the kitchenette hid her body from view, as the steadily growing puddle of blood crept ever closed to her fingertips.

"Don't move!" Max screamed at them, noticing that Dean was about to race into the kitchen. Dean shut his eyes, a single tear falling down his cheek. "Princess," he breathed out. He knew she'd been shot with his special silver bullets. What made it worse was that it was his gun that had fired them.

"Five minutes," Max sighed, not believing he'd just shot her, "Go!" Dean moved to the kitchen, shaking Mrs Miller into consciousness, while trying not to glance as Selene's lifeless form. Turning his face away from Selene's direction, he pulled Mrs Miller up, gently leading her up the stairs.

Max and Sam sat down in the living room, Sam positioned so he wouldn't be able to see Selene's body. "Look," Sam began, "I can't begin to understand what you went through." 'That's right," Max replied, eyes gazing at a letter opener, "You can't." Sam sighed, trying to be a gentle as he could. "Max," Sam replied, "This has to stop."

"It will," Max replied, "After my stepmother." Sam shook his head slightly, trying to reason with the boy. "No," he told Max firmly, "You need to let her go." Sam couldn't even bring himself to acknowledge Selene's death. It would make it real. "Why" Max asked as the letter opener stood itself on its tip and slowly began to spin. "Did she beat you?" Sam asked, trying to make the boy before him see reason. Max shook his head to that question. "No," he admitted, "But she never tried to save me. She's a part of it too." Sam nodded slowly. "Look," Sam reasoned, "What they did to you. What they all did to you growing up…they deserve to be punished."

"Growing up?" Max spat, "Try last week." Max stood, raising his shirt to expose a massive bruise and the multiple cuts marring his skin. "My dad still hit me," he continued, "Just in places people wouldn't see it. Old habits die hard, I guess." Max tugged his shirt back down, before sitting himself back down. "I'm sorry," Sam murmured, stunned by the evidence before him."When I first found out I could move things," Max replied, the letter opener spinning faster now, "It was a gift. My whole life I was helpless. But now I had this. So, last week, Dad gets drunk-first time in a long time. And he beats me to hell-first time in a long time. And then I knew what I had to do." Sam thought for a moment before answering. "Why didn't you just leave?" Sam asked. The letter opener suddenly fell, making Sam jump.

"It wasn't about getting away," Max replied, "Just knowing that they'd still be out there. It was about not being afraid. When my dad used to look at me, there was hate in his eyes. Do you know what that feels like?" Sam shook his head. It was true, he couldn't even begin to conceive what it was like. "No," Sam replied softly.

He blamed me for everything," Max spat, "For his job, for his life, for my mom's death." Sam stared at Max. "Why would he blame you for your mum's death?" he asked. Max gazed back at Sam. "Because she died in my nursery," Max responded, "While I was asleep in my crib. As if that makes it my fault." Sam's eyes grew wide, when he heard that statement. "She died in your nursery?" Sam inquired.

"Yeah," Max informed him, "There was a fire. And he'd get drunk and babble on like she died in some insane way. He said that she burned up. Pinned to the ceiling." Sam's eyes widened even further. Now he knew why he felt so connected to this boy. "Listen to me Max," Sam told him firmly, "What your dad said about what happened to your mum. It's real." Max stared at Sam incredulously, not daring to believe him for a moment. "What?" Max asked.

"It happened to my mum, too," Sam explained, "Exactly the same-my nursery, my crib. My dad saw her on the ceiling." Max scoffed snidely at that remark. There was no way Sam had been through the same thing. "Then your dad must've been as drunk as mine," Max retorted. "No. No," Sam responded, "It's the same thing, Max. The same thing killed our mothers." Max shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe Sam was trying a stunt like this. "That's not possible," Max responded."This must be why I've been having visions during the day," Sam exclaimed, "Why they're getting more intense. 'Cause you and I must be connected in some way. Your abilities-they started six, seven months ago, right? Out of the blue?" Max nodded slowly. "How did you know that?" Max asked, slowly starting to believe."Because that's when my abilities started, Max," Sam explained, "I mean, yours seem to be much further along, but still, this…this means something, right? I mean, for some reason, you and I...you and I were chosen." Max stared at Sam for a moment, trying to understand what he was saying. "For what?" Max asked.

"I don't know," Sam replied, "But Dean and I…my brother and I, we're hunting for your mum's killer. And we can find answers. Answers that can help us both. But you gotta let us go. You gotta let your stepmother go." Max shook his head, his thoughtful expression turning cold once more.

Max shook his head. "No," he spat, "What they did to me…I still have nightmares! I'm still scared all the time, like I'm just waiting for their next beating! I'm just tired of being scared. If I do this, it'll be over!" Standing up, Max started to walk towards the stairs.

Sam leapt up, blocking his path to the stairs. "No," Sam cried, "Don't you get it? It won't. The nightmares won't end, Max, not like this. It's just more pain. And it makes you as bad as them. Max, you don't have to go through all this by yourself." Max stared at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Max murmured, before using his powers to send Sam flying into a closet, slamming the door shut behind him. "No!" Sam cried as Max used his abilities to shift a large cupboard to block the closet door. Sam began to pound on the doors. "No, Max," he cried, "No! Max!" Max slowly stalked up the stairs towards his stepmother's room.

Another vision took hold of Sam as his fists pounded the doors. Sam watched helplessly as a bullet made its home in Dean's head. "No!" Sam screamed, he'd watched Selene die, he wouldn't let his brother join her, "No!" The cupboard suddenly thrust itself away from the closet. Confused, Sam pushed the closet door, only to have to swing open.

Max stood, the gun in the air pointing directly at his stepmother. "Max," Mrs Miller began, as Dean pushed himself of the ground, stepping forward. 'Damn,' Dean thought, 'That wall hurt.' He was really going to enjoy getting this kid for slamming him into the wall. "Stay back," Max told him, shifting the gun to aim at Dean, "It's not about you." Dean shifted slightly, trying to block Mrs Miller from view. "If you wanna kill her," Dean told him, "You gotta go through me first." Max pondered that statement momentarily before smiling coldly. "Okay," he shrugged. 'Shit,' Dean thought, 'Me and my big mouth.'

Sam suddenly burst through the bedroom door. "No," he cried, "Don't! Don't! Please. Please, Max. Max, we can help you, alright? But this…what you're doing…it's not the solution. It's not gonna fix anything." Max stared at him for a moment, before gaining enlightenment. "You're right," Max agreed, making Sam smile slightly. Dean's gun suddenly turned around, firing a shot into Max's head. "No!" Sam cried as Max's body fell to the floor.

Sam and Dean escorted Mrs Miller downstairs, away from Max's body. Dean still couldn't look in the direction of the kitchen without cringing. Sam walked over to the kitchen. He needed to see Selene's body to make it final. Crouching down beside her, his eyes widened. "Dean!" Sam called out, "She's still breathing!"

Dean leapt over the couch, racing to Selene's side. Turning her on to her back, Dean ripped her blouse off to see the bullet wounds. He sighed with relief when he saw that one bullet had left a long gash in her side, while the other had penetrated her shoulder, too high to hit anything vital.

Tearing her blouse into strips, Dean put together a make-shift bandage. He'd fix a proper one as soon as they got her back to the motel. Grabbing wet cloths, Sam and Dean began to gently scrub away the blood covering her body, hiding her features. Once she was clean, Dean pulled his jacket off, slipping her arms into the sleeves, zipping it up as high as it could go.

Standing up, Dean pulled the demon into his arms, holding her close. For his own comfort, or her warmth, Sam didn't know, and at that moment, he didn't care either. Both boys were just glad she was still clinging to life.

Dean sat down on the kitchen counter, continuing to warm her body while Sam moped up her blood. Hearing sirens, Dean turned to Sam. "I'll take her to the car," Dean told his brother, "You'll be okay with the cops?" Sam nodded, knowing that someone would need to stay with Selene. "I'll be fine," Sam replied, "Just make sure she stays warm."

Sam waited with Mrs Miller while the police asked questions about what had happened. Mrs Miller was hysterical, but still gave them as accurate a recount as she could. Mrs Miller smiled faintly at Sam, as she explained that the brothers were family friends who had fought Max for the gun.

"If I just said somethin' else," Sam muttered as he jumped in the car, 'Gotten through to him somehow." Dean glanced up from Selene's unconscious form to gaze at his brother. "Don't do that," Dean told him, still holding the demon close. Sam stared at his brother. "Do what?" Sam asked. Dean flicked his gaze down to Selene before focusing on his brother once more. "Torture yourself," Dean replied, "It wouldn't have mattered what you said. Max was too far gone."

"When I think about how he looked at me, man," Sam told him, "Right before…should've done something." Dean's hands gently rubbed Selene's shoulders, trying to warm her up. "Come on man," Dean responded, "You risked your life. I mean, yeah, maybe if we had gotten there twenty years earlier." Dean turned his gaze back to her still form. "Well," Sam sighed, "I'll tell you one thing…We're lucky we had Dad." Dean turned to his brother in shock. "I never thought I'd hear you say that," Dean remarked.

"Well," Sam replied, "He could've gone a whole 'nother way after Mum. A little more tequila, a little less demon-hunting, and we would've had Max's childhood. All things considered, we turned out okay-thanks to him." Dean paused for a moment, taking in what his brother had just said. "All things considered," Dean agreed, "Now let's get back to that motel. I wanna patch Selene up properly."

Sam watched from the door as Dean pulled the First Aid Kit over to his bed. Removing his make-shift bandages, Dean set to work applying real ones. Finally finishing, Dean covered her body with a blanket, before gently removing her clothes, careful not to bump her wounds. Replacing her clothes with a pair of his boxers and a T-shirt, Dean slipped her under the covers of his bed. He knew he'd done all he could for her, now it was up to her own strength and will power to survive.

Sam slid into his own bed. He'd stood back to let Dean handle the First Aid side of things, firstly because Dean was better at it then he was, and secondly, because he knew Dean wanted to fix it. He felt responsible for her wounds, especially considering his gun had been the one to fire the bullets.

Dean settled himself into a chair beside his bed, wrapped in a spare blanket, his hand under the covers of his bed, clasping the demon's cold fingers with his warm ones. He watched her late into the night, monitoring her as the night wore on. It wasn't until the grey hours of dawn that his tired body slowly fell asleep.

Selene's eyes fluttered open as the first rays of sunlight kissed the skies. Selene groaned softly, feeling as if she'd been run over by a truck. A sense of warmth enveloped her, and she felt something grasping her hand. Glancing over, Selene saw Dean's huddled form beside her bed, his arm buried under her covers. Turning slightly to face him, she let her eyes close once more, welcoming the overwhelming blackness of sleep.

Sam woke up a few hours later to see Dean gently stroking her face. "I'm sorry Princess," Dean murmured softly, "I'm the reason you got hurt. I should've listened to Sam. If I had, that gun wouldn't have even been in that house." Not for the first time, Sam began to wonder if his brother felt something more then friendship towards the little demon.

Dean left to have a shower, not noticing Selene's bright violet eyes opening. "He missed you, you know," Sam commented, walking over with a glass of water. Taking over Dean's vacated chair, he helped Selene sit up. Holding the glass to her mouth, Sam gave her little sips.

"This isn't the first time he's patched you up either," Sam continued, "He spent all day running around, trying to solve this case before I had another premonition, then spent all night watching over you. I don't know how he does it.

"He didn't mean what he said. He and Cassie just had some unfinished emotions that he needed to tie the ends off. He needed closure. He was stressed out and working himself to hard, even though he wouldn't admit it, and you were the next one to set him off.

"He didn't want you to leave. He's just not the best at expressing himself. I guess it comes with the job description, and Cassie wouldn't have helped, but Dean tries to distance himself. Tries to be above emotional vulnerability. I guess that's just his way of protecting himself from heartbreak. He does care for you Selene, even if he is too dense to show it."

Sam helped Selene finish her water before setting the glass down. Sam shuffled her back under the covers. "You'd best try to sleep now," Sam told her, "We're moving on tonight, and Dean'll kick my ass if you don't get enough rest."

"So what about my bike?" Selene asked that night, while Sam and Dean started to pack. Dean stopped to stare at her. "That was your bike?" Dean asked. Sam started snickering softly as he remembered everything Dean had said he wanted to do to the bike's owner. "Guess you'll just have to sell it," Dean told her, "'Cause you're definitely not riding it in this condition." Sam smiled slyly at his brother's protectiveness of Selene's health.

"Dean," Sam interjected before they could start a fight, "I've been thinking." Dean shook his head. "Well," he replied, "That's never a good thing." Sam gave his brother a withering glare. "I'm serious," Sam told him, "I've been thinking…why would this demon, or whatever it is, why would it kill Mum and Jessica and Max's mother, you know, what does it want?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders. "No idea," he answered, still packing his gear away. "Well," Sam asked, "You think maybe it was after us? After Max and me?" Dean glanced at his brother. "Why would you think that?" Dean asked, pushing Selene gently back against the pillow as she tried to stand up.

"I mean," Sam explained, "Either telekinesis or premonitions, we both had abilities, you know? Maybe it was after us for some reason." Selene tried to stand again, only to have Dean push her back down. "Sam," Dean reasoned, "If it wanted you, it would've just taken you okay? This is not your fault. It's not about you." Sam stared at his brother. "Then what is it about?" he asked.

"It's about that damn thing that did this to our family," Dean replied, "The thing that we're gonna find, the thing that we're gonna kill. And that's all." Sam shifted nervously on his feet. "Actually," Sam stammered out, "There's, uh, somethin' else, too." Dean had stopped pushing Selene, and was now just pressing her good shoulder down, keeping her from standing. "Oh, jeez," Dean sighed, "What?""When Max locked me in that closet," Sam told him, "That big cabinet against the door…I moved it." Dean began to laugh, impressed with his little brother. "You've got a little bit more upper body strength than I give you credit for," Dean replied, while Selene stared to wriggle under his grasp, "And would you stop moving. You're not getting up and that's final."

Sam watched their exchange with interest. "No man," Sam re-iterated, "I moved it, like Max." Dean's eyes widened, making him release his grip on Selene. She was almost out of bed when Dean realised and pushed her back down. "Oh," Dean blinked, "Right." Sam nodded. "Yeah," Sam replied.

Noticing a spoon within his grasp, Dean grabbed it, not letting up on the pressure on Selene's shoulder. "Bend this," Dean told his brother, proudly holding the spoon up. Sam sighed at his brother's antics. "I can't turn it on and off Dean," Sam replied, rolling his eyes for good measure. "Well," Dean asked, "How'd you do it?"

"I don't know," Sam sighed, "I can't control it. I saw you die, and it just came out of me, like a punch. You know, like a freak adrenaline thing." Dean placed the spoon down, defeatedly. "Well," Dean replied shrugging his shoulders, "I'm sure it won't happen again."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "Maybe. Aren't you worried, man, aren't you worried that I could turn into Max or something?" Dean shrugged at his brother, why would he worry, he knew Sam. "Nope," Dean responded immediately, "No way. You know why?" Sam sighed. "No," Sam replied, "Why?"

"'Cause you've got one advantage that Max didn't have," Dean replied confidently. Sam stared unsurely at his brother, not knowing where he was taking this. "Dad?" Sam asked, "Because Dad's not here Dean."

Dean shook his head. "No," He replied, "Me." Dean smiled as he began to wrap Selene up in a blanket so tightly that she couldn't move, before lifting her up into his arms. "Damn it Dean," Selene cried, "I can walk you know." Dean smirked at her infuriatingly. "Nothin' doin' Princess," he replied, smiling as he turned to his brother, "As long as I'm around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you. Now then, I know what we need to do about your premonitions. I know where we have to go."

"Where?" Sam asked, as he fought the urge to laugh at his brother, with an armful of squirming blanket. "Vegas," Dean replied, like it was the most obvious thing. Sam scoffed, grabbing the bags on his way out to the car. "What?" Dean hollered after him, "Come on, man. Craps table. We'd clean up." Smiling, Dean grabbed his own duffle bag, still not putting Selene down, and switched the light off, closing the door behind him.

Okay, just for all of you who love the background info...Spica is actually a star. It's one tiny star in a constellation. (that info will come in handy later)

If you love this story or hate it...please let me know and press the review button. I would love to hear from you so go ahead and tell me what you think.

May your thoughts and creativity flow,

Lady Ami DragonHeart


	7. Bitter Mortality

Hey all! Next instalment, sorry it took so damn long to put up, but I hope you all enjoy!

Sam chuckled as they booked in to a motel in Hibbing, Minnesota. Dean still refused to let Selene walk, for fear of tearing open the wound in her side. With one hand around her waist, the other under her knees, Dean carried the demon into their room.

It had been a few days since she'd been shot, and the wounds were closing over, but they could still open if she over-reached herself. That didn't mean that Selene would go quietly though. The spirited little demon made sure to give Dean an earful for not letting her use her own two legs.

Chasing a lead on a mysterious disappearance, Sam and Dean found themselves dressed up like sheriffs. Sam was still smiling about what Dean had done to Selene. The brothers had walked out to the living area, to find Selene grabbing her clothes. Dean had immediately grabbed her bag, piled all her clothes in, and dumped it in the boot of his car, claiming that if she couldn't get dressed, she wouldn't leave the motel room. He'd then proceeded to scoop her up into his arms, and settle her in his bed, telling her that they were just gathering information and that if she was good, all three would go out for a drink later that night. Sam wiped the smile of his face before knocking on the door before them.

Sam and Dean walked into the living room, smiling at the woman and her son. "I know you're just doing your job," Mrs McKay told the brothers, "But the police have been here all week already. I don't see why we have to go through this again. The more he tells the story, the more he believes it's true." Sam nodded, trying to appease the boy's mother. "Mrs McKay," Sam replied, "We know you spoke with the local authorities." Dean cut in, "But, uh, this seems like a matter for the state police, so…" Sam cut his brother off. "Don't worry about how crazy it sounds, Evan," Sam told the boy, "You just tell us what you saw."

"I was up late," Evan told them, "Watching TV, when I heard this weird noise." Sam nodded, "What did it sound like?" Sam asked, intrigued by the boy's tale. Evan thought for a moment. "It sounded like…a monster," he told the brothers. Dean and Sam exchanged a small glance before turning back to the boy. "Tell the officers what you were watching on TV," Mrs McKay told her son. Evan looked around a little nervously. "Godzilla vs. Mothra," Evan told them.

Dean's eyes lit up with boyish glee. 'That's my favourite Godzilla movie," Dean told him excitedly, "It's so much better than the original, huh?" Evan nodded his head enthusiastically. "Totally," Evan agreed. Dean smiled widely, he was liking this kid more by the minute. "Yeah," Dean agreed, nodding his head towards Sam, "He likes the remake." Evan's face showed a look of great disgust. "Yuck," Evan exclaimed, making Dean smile.

Sam glared at his brother before clearing his throat. "Evan, did you see what this thing was?" Sam asked. Evan shook his head. "No," he replied solemnly, "But I saw it grab Mr Jenkins. It pulled him underneath the car." Dean's eyebrows rose, and Sam became more intrigued. "Then what?" Sam asked the boy. Evan looked out towards the window, before turning back to the brothers. "It took him away," Evan replied, "I heard the monster leaving. It made this really scary sound."

"What did it sound like Evan?" Sam asked. Dean was staring at the boy with total interest. "Like this...whining growl," Evan replied. Sam and Dean exchanged a brief glance before turning back to the boy. "Thanks for your time," Sam replied, before he and Dean left the room.

Sam spent the rest of the day researching urban legends, while Dean checked out the parking lot for evidence. The brothers had a brief interlude for lunch, stopping back at the motel so Selene had some company, before heading back to work. Once the sun had slowly begun to disappear from the sky, Sam and Dean decided to call it quits for the night and take Selene out for some fun.

Sam and Dean waited patiently in the living area while Selene got dressed to go out. They had decided on visiting a bar. Something that got Selene out of the motel room they knew was driving her crazy, while still having a relaxed atmosphere.

Selene stepped out of the bathroom wearing tight, black jeans, a black halter top and a black leather jacket. Her long dark hair was left out to flutter in the breeze. Sam and Dean stood, both offering her an arm. Accepting both, Selene walked between them as they made their way to the car.

Inside Kugel's Keg, Sam sat at the table, beer in hand, while he flipped through his father's journal. Dean was attempting to beat Selene at a round of darts, but it seemed her cat-sight gave her an edge when it came to hitting the dart board.

"So," Sam told them, eyeing their progress, "Local police have ruled out foul play. Apparently, there are worse signs of a struggle." Dean shook his head. For someone who'd never played before, Selene caught on quickly. "Well," Dean replied, "They could be right. It could just be a kidnapping. Maybe this isn't our kind of gig."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "Maybe not. Except for this…Dad marked the area Dean." Dean and Selene strode over to the table to take a look at the journal. "Possible hunting grounds of a phantom attacker," Sam continued. Dean grabbed the journal, taking a closer look. "Why would he do that?" Dean asked, returning the book back to Sam.

"Well," Sam explained, "He found a lot of local folklore about a dark figure that comes out at night. Grabs people, then vanishes. He found this too…this country has more missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state." Dean took another look at the journal. "That is weird," Dean mumbled. Sam stared at his brother, nodding his agreement. "Yeah," Sam replied.

"Don't phantom attackers usually snatch people from their beds?" Dean asked, watching as Selene made her way over to the bar, "Jenkins was taken from a parking lot." Sam shook his head. "Well," he responded, "There are all kinds. You know, Springhill Jacks, Phantom Gassers. They take people anywhere, anytime. Look Dean, I don't know if this is our kind of gig either."

"Yeah," Dean agreed, "You're right. We should ask around more tomorrow." Sam nodded. "Right," Sam replied, pulling out his wallet, "We should head back to the motel." Dean looked at his brother, stupefied. Sam may be a great people person, but he really needed to relax. "Whoa, whoa, easy," Dean told his brother, "Let's have another round."

Sam sighed. "We should get an early start," Sam told his brother. Dean shook his head. "Yeah," he replied, "You really know how to have fun, don't you Grandma?" Sam smiled as Dean glanced over at the bar. "Alright," Dean told him, his focus still over at the bar, "I'll meet you outside. I gotta take a leek." Dean grabbed his coat, while Sam collected the journal and other research material, and headed out.

Dean slipped his jacket on, before striding over to the bar. Selene was standing at the edge of a very interested group of men. "Well, uh, that's very kind of you," Selene stuttered, "But I already have a drink for now. Thank you anyway." Dean rolled his eyes. For someone so intelligent, she really was stupid when it came to advances from the opposite sex. She was so innocent and naïve. "Sorry boys," Dean smirked at them as he wrapped his arms around Selene's waist, tugging her firmly backwards to his strong chest, "This one's mine."

Seeing she was about to open her mouth, Dean crashed his lips to hers, effectively silencing any protests she may have had, while walking her steadily backwards towards the door. "What was that about?" Selene demanded once they reached the open air. Dean glared at her.

"They were trying to get you drunk," Dean yelled at her, not holding his anger back for a moment, "They would've plied you with alcohol until you didn't know what you were doing. Then they would've had their way with you. You wouldn't have been mated, you would've been raped by every single one of them. Is that what you wanted?"

Selene shook her head, trying not to show Dean her embarrassment. Taking a deep breath, Selene's wide eyes filled with worry. "Dean?" she breathed out. Dean refused to look at her, barely managing to control the rage still surging inside him. "I can't smell Sam," she murmured, instantly gaining Dean's undivided attention.

Dean raced to his car, spotting the journal on the hood. Opening the car door, he couldn't see his brother inside. Looking up, he watched as Selene's eyes widened to allow for her perfect night-sight. Staring into the darkness, Selene slowly turned around. "He's not here," she replied, "I can't get a visual, but he was standing here."

Following her nose, Selene tracked Sam's steps, before halting. "Sam's gone," she murmured. "Where?" Dean asked, gripping her shoulders tightly. "Where is he?" Selene winced from the pressure of Dean's grip. "It just vanishes. I can't track him, because the scent stops," she cried out, "Dean. You're hurting me." Dean released her, realising he had grabbed her wounded shoulder.

Looking confused and desperate, Dean began to ask anyone in sight if they'd seen his brother. "Sam!" he called out, still glancing around frantically, "Sammy!" He saw a surveillance camera on top of a streetlight. Walking to the middle of the road, Dean gave it one last look. "Sam!" he cried out, stopping only when Selene's hand rested gently on his shoulder.

Dean strode into the Sheriff's Department. He'd left Selene at the motel, but not before they'd had a massive fight about it. Selene hadn't liked the idea of Dean going after whatever this was alone, and out of the two of them, she was less likely to be injured if it came to a battle, but Dean had prevailed. He'd already lost his brother, and didn't want to lose her too, and she was injured.

Dean handed over a fake ID to a deputy. "So, what can we do for you Officer Washington?" the deputy asked. Dean cleared his throat, taking his ID back. "I'm working a missing persons," Dean told her. The deputy looked at him strangely. "I didn't know the Jenkins case was being covered by the state police," she replied.

"Oh, no," Dean replied, "No, there's someone else. Actually, it's my cousin. We were havin' a few last night at this bar down by the highway. And I haven't seen him since." "Does your cousin have a drinking problem?" the deputy asked. Dean shook his head. "Sam?" he replied, "Two beers and he's doin' karaoke." The deputy smiled at that comment. "No, he wasn't drunk," Dean continued, "He was taken." The deputy nodded, sitting down at her computer. Dean followed, sitting down beside her.

"Alright," she agreed, "What's his name?" Dean cleared his throat once more, smiling at the deputy. "Winchester," Dean replied, "Sam Winchester." The deputy smiled slightly. "Like the rifle?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood. Dean smiled slightly, appreciating her efforts. "Like the rifle," Dean agreed. The deputy entered Sam's name into the computer. Glancing at the page, she clicked up on Dean's record.

"Samuel Winchester," the deputy told him, "So, you know that his brother, Dean Winchester, died in St. Louis. And, uh, was suspected of murder." Dean tried to appear nonchalant about the news. "Yeah," Dean replied, "Dean. Kind of the black sheep of the family. Handsome, though." The deputy raised her eyebrows slightly, sensing that something was a little off. "Uh-huh," she replied, typing away at the computer, bringing up more search results, "Well, he's not showing up in any current field reports." Dean jumped in. "Oh," he replied, "I already have a lead. I saw a surveillance camera by the highway."

"Uh-huh," she acknowledged, nodding slightly, "The county traffic cam?" Dean nodded once more. "Right," Dean told her, "Yeah. I'm thinking the camera picked up whatever took him. Or, whoever." The deputy regarded him for a moment, before nodding once more. "Well," she told him, "I have access to the traffic cam footage down at the county works department, but-well, anyhow, let's do this the right way." She strode over to the filing cabinet, grabbing some paperwork from inside. "Why don't you fill out a missing persons report and sit tight over here?" she told Dean, handing him the clipboard.

"Officer," Dean replied, accepting the clipboard, "Look, uh, he's family. I kind of…I kind of look out for the kid. You gotta let me go with you." The deputy started to shift anxiously. "I'm sorry," she told him, "I can't do that." Dean sighed, before hardening his features once more. "Well, tell me something," Dean asked the deputy, "Your County has its fair share of missing persons. Any of 'em come back?" The deputy looked down regretfully. "Sam's my responsibility," Dean continued, "And he's comin' back. I'm bringin' him back."

Dean sat on a bench outside the County Works Department while the deputy had a look for the footage from the traffic camera. "Greg," she called out, walking up to him, holding the results, "I think we've got something." Dean stood up as she handed him the pages. He began to flip through them. "These traffic cams take an image every three seconds," she explained, "As part of the Amber Alert program. These images were all taken around the time that your cousin, Sam, disappeared." Dean flicked from page to page. "This really isn't what I'm looking for," he told her.

"Just wait," she replied, "Wait…next one." Flipping the page, Dean saw a rusty old truck driving away. "This one was taken right after Sam left the bar," she explained, "Look at the back end of that thing. Now, look at the plates." Turning another page, Dean saw a close up of the licence plates.

"Oh, the plates look new," Dean replied, "It's probably stolen." The deputy nodded once more. "So," she explained, "Whoever's driving that rust bucket must be involved." A beat-up old van slowly drove by, its engine whining loudly as it passed.

"Hear that engine?" Dean asked, glancing back at the photographs in front of him. "Yeah," the deputy replied, nodding slowly. She didn't know where Dean was running with this. "Kind of a whining growl, isn't it?" Dean asked. The deputy nodded her head once more. "Sure," she agreed, still not knowing where Dean was headed. Dean watched the old van drive away. "I'll be damned," he muttered quietly.

Selene watched the sun slowly sink from the sky. Dean wasn't back yet, and she was starting to worry. Pulling on a black, leather cat-suit, she slipped out of the window. It was time she started her own investigation.

Dean began to wonder how Selene was doing back at the motel. He hadn't been there since that morning, and it was now past dark. The deputy suddenly pointed out a traffic camera. "Okay," she told him, "The next traffic cam is fifty miles from here, and the pickup didn't pass that one, so…." Dean nodded, he was getting closer to finding his brother. "So, it must've pulled off somewhere. I didn't see any other roads here," Dean finished.

"Well," the deputy told him, "A lot of these backwoods properties have their own private roads." Dean's face shifted to annoyance as he stared at the road ahead. "Great," he bit out. New information suddenly appears on the deputy's computer. Reading it, her face becomes one of concern. "So," she began, "Gregory." Dean turned away from the road to give her his attention. "Yeah?" he asked, desperate to know if she had any new leads on his brother. "I ran your badge number," she informed him, "It's routine when we're working a case with state police. For accounting purposes and what have you." Dean nodded. "Mmhmm," he grunted out.

"And, uh, they just got back to me," she told him, pulling the car over, "It says here your badge was stolen." Dean feigned surprise. "And there's a picture of you." She turned the computer screen to face Dean, showing him a picture of a man who doesn't even look remotely similar.

"I lost some weight," Dean chuckled, "And I got that Michael Jackson skin disease." She unfastened her seatbelt. "Okay, would you step out of the car, please?" she told him. Dean's calm resolve began to break. "Look, look, look," he told her, making her stop, "If you wanna arrest me, that's fine. I'll cooperate, I swear. But, first, please…let me find Sam." The deputy's eyebrows rose, coming dangerously close to being lost in her hairline. "I don't even know who you are," she reminded him, "Or if this Sam person is missing."

"Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying about this," Dean pleaded. She was his last chance at finding his brother. "Identity theft? You're impersonating an officer," she reminded him. "Look, here's the thing," Dean explained, "When we were young, I pretty much pulled him from a fire. And ever since then, I've felt responsible for him. Like it's my job to keep him safe. I'm just afraid if we don't find him fast-please," his voice began to break, "He's my family."

"I'm sorry," she told him, "You've given me no choice. I have to take you in." Glancing up at the visor above the driver's side, her eyes pass over a photo of herself and another man. A glimmer of remorse crossed her face. "After we find Sam Winchester," she sighed.

Selene slipped back into the motel. She hadn't managed to find anything that night. Sighing to herself, she stripped off, pulling on her comfy jeans and a tank top. Settling herself on the couch, she slowly drifted off, not noticing the man walking through the front door.

Dean glanced over at the sleeping demon. Walking over to her, he cupped her face gently, stroking a few errant hairs away from her face. Over the past few days, Dean had begun to wonder if he'd been reluctant to let her walk for fear of her wound re-opening, or simply because he liked the feel of her in his arms.

The previous month had been depressing. He would never admit to it, but he'd actually missed their verbal wars, and watching her 'die' had left him more broken then he'd ever thought he could be. Since her return, he'd begun to notice the small things, like the soft scent of the forest that seemed to cling to her skin, the way her fingers always smelt like the herbs she'd been mixing, or the fire that burnt in her eyes every time they fought. "Good night, Princess," he whispered, gently tugging the blankets up to cover her form, tucking her in, before walking off in the direction of the bedroom, not noticing the two violet eyes following his progression.

Dean awoke just as the grey light of dawn reached the window. He wanted an early start today. The sooner he found Sam, the better. Walking out into the living area, Dean knelt beside the sleeping demon. "Sleep well, Princess," he murmured, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead before walking out the door.

Dean and the deputy strode towards her car, both carrying a cup of coffee. "Hey, Officer?" Dean asked, "Look, I don't mean to press my luck." She shook her head slightly. "Your luck is so pressed," she told Dean, who shrugged, smirking slightly. "Right," he agreed, "I was wondering-why are you helping me out, anyway? Why don't you just lock me up?" The deputy thought for a moment, then decided Dean had the right to know. "My brother, Riley," she told him, "Disappeared three years ago. A lot like Sam. We searched for him, but…nothing. I know what it's like to feel responsible for someone, and for them…Come on. Let's keep at it." The deputy stepped into her car, waiting for Dean to do likewise, before driving off.

Driving down the road, Dean suddenly spotted a turn-off. "Wait, wait, wait," Dean cried, "Pull over here. Pull over." The deputy stopped the car. Stepping out of the car, both began to walk toward the forest. "It's the first turn-off I've seen so far," Dean told her.

"You stay here," she told him, "I'll check it out." Dean jumped in front of her. There was no way he was going to let her go off and have him do nothing to find his own brother. "No way," Dean replied.

"Hey," she replied, stopping to face him, "You're a civilian. And a felon, I think. I'm not taking you with me." She began to walk forward once more, only to have Dean catch up to her. "You're not goin' without me," Dean told her, his face determined. She sighed. "Alright," she began, "You promise you won't get involved? You'll let me handle it?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah," he told her, "I promise." She regarded him, nodding once more. "Shake on it," she told him, extending her hand. Dean gripped it and shook her hand, only to have her place one side of a set of handcuffs on his wrist. "Oh, come on," Dean cried, before handcuffing the other side to the door handle of her car.

"This is ridiculous," Dean cried out, as she began to walk away, "Kathleen, I really think you're gonna need my help." Kathleen shook her head, pulling her keys out of her pocket. "I'll manage," she told him, "Thank you." Pressing the central locking, Kathleen began to walk away, stuffing her keys back into her pocket. "I gotta start carrying paper clips," Dean sighed.

Dean began to look around for something to unlock the handcuffs. Finally, Dean noticed the antenna on the car. Stretching his arm across, Dean tried to grab it, falling just short. Dean suddenly heard the screech of a truck. "Oh, son of a bitch," Dean exclaimed, suddenly trying ten times harder.

At the sound of groaning, Sam looked over at the woman in the cage beside him. "You alright?" Sam asked, concern evident in his voice. Kathleen sat up, staring across at Sam. "Are you Sam Winchester?" she asked, hands gripping the bars as she peered at him. "Yeah," Sam nodded. For someone to recognise him, it meant Dean was close by.

"Your, uh, your cousin's looking for you," she informed Sam. Sam relaxed against the bars of the cage. "Thank God," he sighed out, "Where is he?" Kathleen held her head, trying to remember. "I, uh…I cuffed him to my car," she admitted sheepishly. Sam sighed, resting his head against the bars once more.

Stepping into the barn, Dean looked around disgustedly. Seeing the cages, Dean walked forward. "Sam?" Dean asked, catching sight of his brother, who smiled at him, "Are you hurt?" Sam shook his head, glad that his brother had found him without being caught. "No," Sam replied.

"Damn, it's good to see you," Dean exclaimed, smiling at his little brother. Kathleen stared at Dean, not daring to believe he was there. "How did you get out of the cuffs?" she asked. Dean spun around to face her, grinning superiorly. "Oh, I know a trick or two," Dean told her cryptically, "Alright." Dean moved to the front of the cages, analysing the locking mechanisms. "Oh, these locks look like they're gonna be a bitch," Dean told his brother.

"Well, there's some kind of automatic control right there," Sam told him, pointing to the control panel. "Have you seen 'em?" Dean asked, walking back to face his brother. Sam nodded. "Yeah," Sam replied, "Dude, they're just people." Dean chucked softly at his brother. "And they jumped you?" Dean asked, "Must be gettin' a little rusty there, kiddo." Dean walked over to the control panel, trying a few buttons. "What do they want?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Sam admitted, "They let Jenkins go, but that was some sort of trap. It doesn't make any sense to me." Dean continued to push away at the control panel. "Well, that's the point," Dean told him, "You know, with our usual playmates, there's rules, there's patterns. But with people, they're just crazy." Sam tried to peer around the bars of the cage to see Dean. "See anything else out there?" he asked.

"Uh, he has about a dozen junked cars hidden out back," Dean replied, "Plates from all over, so I'm thinkin' when they take someone, they take their car, too." Kathleen's interest peaked. "Did you see a black Mustang out there? About ten years old?" she asked with baited breath. "Yeah, actually, I did," he replied, walking back to the cages, "Your brother's?" Kathleen nodded sadly. "I'm sorry," he told her, "Let's get you guys out of here, then we'll take care of those bastards." He faced Sam, pointing to the control panel. "This thing takes a key," Dean asked, "Key?"

"I don't know," Sam told his brother, shaking his head. Dean took a quick glance around the barn. "Alright," Dean replied, "I better go find it." Dean began to walk off when Sam's voice halted his steps. "Hey," Sam called out, "Be careful." Dean smiled, glad to know his brother was still safe. "Yeah," Dean replied before leaving.

Dean wandered through a dark room. Turning on a flashlight, the beam illuminated several jars lining the shelves on the walls. Some contained various body parts suspended in fluid, while others were filled with unrecognisable items. "Yikes," Dean exclaimed, his eyes still wandering the rows of 'trophies'.

Continuing his search, Dean stumbled upon a wall of Polaroids. Each picture showed the same two men standing next to a dead body. Finally his eyes land on the picture of Jenkins' corpse being held by the men. "I'll say it again," Dean muttered, "Demons I get. People are crazy." Dean exited the room, climbing the stairs.

Dean crept through the house, listening to a record playing softly in the background. Looking around the room, Dean spotted a long, wooden pole leaning against the wall. Grabbing the staff, he crept toward the living room. His eyes landed on a small tray of keys on a nearby table.

Checking on the man in the kitchen, Dean reached for the keys, only to stop short at the sight of a jar of teeth. Picking it up, Dean began to examine the contents disgustedly. Setting the jar back down, Dean spun at the sound of creaking wood behind him.

"Shh. It's okay," Dean told the young girl before him, "I'm not gonna hurt you." She grinned, holding up a knife. "I know," she told him, thrusting the small blade at Dean, pinning him to the wall by his jacket, "Daddy!" Dean dropped the pole in order to grab the knife. "Jeez!" Dean exclaimed, wondering just how screwed up a family had to be before a little girl attempted murder.

"Daddy!" she cried once more. Dean removed the jacket as two men raced down the stairs. "Daddy!" The first grabbed Dean, who instantly began to fight back. Stepping backwards into the room to give himself more room, Dean fought with all the vigour of a tiger sensing his end.

While he could've held his own against one, Dean soon felt the beginnings of a thorough thrashing. Picking himself up, after being slammed into the wall once more, Dean stood staring at the men before him. "I'm gonna kick your ass first," he told them, pointing to one, before shifting his gaze toe the other, "Then yours." Dean's world faded to black as he felt a sudden force collide with the back of his head.

Dean slowly began to wake up, groaning as pain began to shoot from the back of his head. Shifting, he felt the ropes binding his hands and feet to the chair. "Come on," Lee begged, "Let us hunt him." His brother Jared nodded enthusiastically. Dean actually had spunk. "Yeah," he agreed, "This one's a fighter. Sure would be fun to hunt." Their father began to laugh maniacally. "Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me," Dean swore, "That's what this is about? You yahoos hunt people?"

"You ever killed before?" the old man asked Dean, stalking slowly towards him. Dean shrugged his shoulders. "Well," Dean replied calmly, "That depends on what you mean." "I've hunted all my life," the old man replied, "Just like my father, his before him. I've hunted deer and bear-I even got a cougar once. But the best hunt is human. Oh, there's nothin' like it. Holdin' their life in your hands. Seein' the fear in their eyes just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful alive." Dean shook his head. He couldn't believe humans could do this to each other. "You're a sick puppy," Dean spat.

"We give 'em a weapon," The old man replied, "Give 'em a fightin' chance. It's kind of like our tradition passed down, father to son. Of course, only one or two a year. Never enough to bring the law down, we never been that sloppy." Dean looked at him, disgusted once more. "Yeah," Dean spat, "Well, don't sell yourself short. You're plenty sloppy."

"I'd have to say," a rich, sultry voice replied, "I agree." All heads in the room turned to the other end of the room. Dean almost sighed with relief when he saw who was standing before him. Leaning against the doorway, clad in a black, leather cat-suit, arms crossed lazily with one heeled boot resting against the door frame, stood Selene. Her long, dark hair pulled into a high ponytail, revealing her elvan ears.

Selene turned her head, her violet eyes flashing coldly as she bore them an icy glare. Stepping casually into the room, she stopped in the very centre, shifting her feet to distribute her weight evenly. The men watched her momentarily, before launching themselves at her.

Dean watched in disbelief. What had started so well, was quickly going from bad to worse. Selene's blows lacked their usual strength, and she didn't seem to be able to sense them like she normally could. One final blow left Selene on the floor, gasping for breath as she coughed up blood.

Gripping her injured shoulder, they dragged her backwards to Dean's chair as she cried out in pain. Sitting her on the floor in front of Dean, the brothers quickly bound her hands to the chair legs. Dean's eyes closed as he winced in sympathy for the demon before him.

"So, what, you with that pretty cop? Are you a cop?" the old man asked. Dean opened his eyes to stare at the man. "If I tell you," Dean asked, suddenly feeling Selene's claws working on the bonds around his ankles, "You promise not to make me into an ashtray?" The old man glared angrily, as Lee walked over and punched Dean.

"Hey," Jared spoke up, "Can we have some fun with the bitch before we hunt her?" Both brothers leered at Selene, each kicking one of her legs further apart from the other. Dean swung his leg around, placing the heel of his boot at the apex between Selene's thighs, while his knee protected her injured shoulder. He shifted his other leg to cover her wounded side. "Looks like we got a protective one here," Lee remarked, making Dean growl.

Selene rested her bruised cheek on Dean's thigh, gently trying to calm him down. "Only reason I don't let my boys take you right here and now is that there's somethin' I need to know," the old man told Dean. Walking to the fireplace, he removed a burning hot poker. "Yeah," Dean asked, "How 'bout it's not nice to marry your sister?"

"Tell me," the old man asked, "Any of the cops gonna come lookin' for you?" Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, eat me," Dean retorted, "No, no, no, wait, wait…you actually might." Jared walked over to Dean, wrenching his head into place and holding it there.

"You think this is funny?" the old man asked, "You brought this down on my family. Alright, you wanna play games? We'll play some games. Looks like we're gonna have a hunt tonight after all, boys," he then turned to Dean, "And you get to pick the animal. The boy or the cop?" Dean's eyes widened at the implications of his next decision.

"Okay, wait, wait," Dean cried, "Look, nobody's comin' for me, alright? It's just us." The old man came closer. "You don't choose," he told Dean, "I will." Pain shot through Dean's shoulder as the old man placed the poker to it. Dean screamed, while trying not to tense his legs and hurt Selene.

"Oh, you son of a bitch!" Dean cried out when the poker was taken away. The old man brought the poker back, this time almost touching Dean's eye. "Next time, I'll take an eye," the old man warned. Dean glanced around in indecision for a moment before answering. "Alright," Dean sighed, "The guy, the guy! Take the guy!"

Jared let Dean go as the old man put the poker back on the fire. Taking a key from around his neck, he passed it to Lee. "Lee," the old man replied, "Go do it. Don't let him out, though. Shoot him in the cage." Lee was almost to the door when Dean's voice made him halt. "What?" Dean cried, "I thought you said you were gonna hunt him. You were gonna give him a chance."

"Lee," the old man told him, "When you're done with the boy-shoot the bitch, too." Lee left the room, rifle in hand. "Better clean this mess up before any more cops come runnin' out here," the old man continued. Dean's eyes widened in fear for his brother.

Dean began to struggle against his bonds, when he heard a gunshot go off. "You hurt my brother, I'll kill you," Dean bit out, "I swear. I'll kill you all. I will kill you all!" The old man walked to the door. "Lee!" he hollered.

Down in the barn, Sam jumped on top of Lee, slamming him in the face with the butt of the gun until he finally blacked out. Checking the gun, Sam swore when he found the gun wouldn't work. Glancing down, Sam shook his head at the unconscious form of Lee.

"Lee!" the old man yelled once more. Not getting a response, he turned to face his two children. "Jared, you come with me," he told the boy before turning to the girl, "Missy, you watch him now." Jared grabbed two rifles, handing one to his father as they left. Missy walked over to Dean, holding a knife dangerously close to his eye.

Nudging Dean, Selene brought his attention to his legs still protecting her. Dean slowly shifted his legs back to their original position, wondering what Selene was thinking. Grabbing his ankles, Selene supported her entire weight with her hands.

Stretching her legs out, Selene bent her body up into a handstand. Bringing one leg down, she hooked the heel of her boot below Missy's hand, before snapping her leg back into the vertical position, sending the knife flying to stab into the wood above their heads. Another swift kick sent Missy flying backwards to collide with the wall, as Selene swung herself back down to her original seated position.

Selene leant her head back against Dean's thigh. Although her little manoeuvre had only taken a couple of seconds, she felt drained. Listening to the rain outside the window, Selene sighed, why did it have to be today?

"Selene?" Dean asked, now that a knife wasn't being thrust in his face, "What happened? I mean, you and I both know that you could've taken those to idiots and not even break a sweat. So what happened?" His voice was soft and concerned. Selene sighed softly, she knew she'd have to tell him eventually.

"It's the rain," she replied, "That's why I've lost my strength." Dean's eyes widened at her statement. "I draw my power from the stars," Selene continued, "The stars are constant, therefore so is my power, but I am also subject to times of frailty. When it rains, the water acts as a barrier between myself and the stars, rendering me as weak as any human. My abilities are still usable, like my night-sight, but they are weaker as well."

Selene sighed once more, pressing her bruised cheek against Dean's leg. "I just feel so stupid," she spat, "So pathetic." Dean gazed at her, shocked. Both by her frailty, and the fact that she obviously trusted him enough to tell him.

In an attempt to take her mind off the rain, Dean nudged her with his knee. "Have I ever told you how much I love a lady in leathers?" Dean smirked, staring at her leather-clad frame. Selene smiled slightly at his attempt to cheer her up. "Multiple times," she replied. "No," Dean replied, "That's how many times I'd like to DO a certain lady in leathers." He nudged her with his knee, making her laugh. "In your dreams," Selene retorted. Dean bent forward, his lips gazing her ear. "Princess," he told her, "You have no idea."

Both threw their heads back and laughed, before the reality of the situation hit them, making them laugh even harder. Here they were, bound to a chair, completely at the mercy of a few humans who lived to hunt other humans, and they were laughing. "Hey Princess," Dean murmured, "If my hands weren't bound…I'd be giving you a big hug right now." Selene smiled at the absurdity of the comment, resting her head back down on his leg. "Well," she replied, "If my hands were bound and yours weren't, I'd be kicking your butt."

Down in the barn, Sam and Kathleen were playing a dangerous game of 'cat and mouse'. Hiding behind bales of hey in the dark, Sam ad Kathleen tried to stay hidden. Noticing a cabinet, Kathleen slowly opened the door, stopping when she heard a noise.

Jared made his way over to the cabinet. Opening the door, he was suddenly jumped from behind as Kathleen began to wrestle with him, before he finally knocked her to the ground. "You stupid bitch," Jared told her, aiming his gun.

"Hey," Sam cried out, making Jared turn to face him. Sam dodged was Jared's gun was fired, making the bullet hit the old man instead. Sam leapt at Jared, grabbing his gun. Slamming the butt of the gun into Jared's head, Jared finally passed out.

"I'll watch this one," Kathleen replied as Sam returned from placing the brothers in the cages, pointing the gun at the old man's head, "You go ahead." Sam stared at her for a moment. "Go ahead," Kathleen continued. Sam nodded, then left to find his brother.

Sam walked into the house, shocked to hear laughter. Walking in to the living room, Sam's wide eyes took in Dean and Selene, laughing helplessly while bound to a chair, the figure of a small girl slumped against the wall. Sam strode up to them, making his presence known.

Ceasing their chuckles, Sam's eyes took in their dishevelled state. Dean had a few small cuts, a lot of bruising, and one burn on his shoulder. Selene looked mostly in tact. Despite the small river of blood trailing from her mouth and one large bruise covering her cheek, she still looked as proud and regal as ever.

As they stared up at Sam, the small knife suddenly dropped from the ceiling, landing neatly in Selene's palm. Taking in the irony of the situation, both Dean and Selene collapsed into yet another fit of laughter. Sam chuckled softly, shaking his head at their antics.

Dean and Sam walked out of the front door, Selene a little behind them. The brothers walked over to Kathleen. "Where's the girl?" Kathleen asked. Dean shrugged nonchalantly. "Locked her in a closet," Dean replied, "What about the dad?" Kathleen paused for a moment. "Shot," she replied, "Trying to escape."

Selene leant against the fence, watching the boys as Kathleen spoke on her walkie-talkie.

"I think the car's at the police station," Dean told Sam, while Kathleen listened to the voice on her radio. "Backup unit en route to your location," the voice told her. Kathleen made her way over to the boys.

"So," she told them, "State police and the FBI are gonna be here within the hour. They're gonna wanna talk to you. I suggest that you're both long gone by then." Dean smiled slightly. "Thanks," he replied, "Hey, listen, I don't mean to press our luck, but we're kind of in the middle of nowhere. Think we could catch a ride?" Kathleen smiled at his boldness. "Start walking," she replied, "Duck if you see a squad car."

"Sounds great to me," Sam cut in, preventing his brother from speaking, "Thanks." Dean shifted feet. "Listen, uh….I'm sorry about your brother," Dean told her. Kathleen smiled. "Thank you," she replied, "It was really hard not knowing what happened to him. I thought it would be easier once I knew the truth…but it isn't really. Anyway, you should go."

Sam and Dean walked towards the road, Selene just a few steps behind. "Never do that again," Dean told his brother angrily. Sam smirked, before quickly wiping it off his face. "Do what?" Sam asked innocently, even though he knew the answer. Dean glared at his brother. "Go missin' like that," Dean replied. Sam threw his head back and laughed. "You were worried about me," Sam stated.

"All I'm sayin' is, you vanish like that again, I'm not lookin' for ya," Dean replied, trying to feign indifference. "Sure, you won't," Sam replied infuriatingly. Dean glared at him. "I'm not," Dean told him, with as much conviction as he could.

Sam began to chuckle. "So, you got sidelined by a thirteen-year-old girl, huh?" Sam teased. "Oh, shut up," Dean bit out, not liking his brother rubbing his nose in it like a naughty puppy. "Just sayin', gettin' rusty there, kiddo," Sam replied. Dean began to laugh. His brother was using his own lines against him. "Shut up," Dean replied, reaching behind him to wrap an arm around Selene's waist, bringing her between them. Sam laughed, wrapping his own arm around the demon's waist as they walked.

Later that night, after Selene had dressed both brothers' wounds, she sat in a chair, facing the beds. Sam had fallen asleep a while ago, but Dean was still awake. Normally Selene would've been sitting on the tree outside by now, instead she was watching them sleep.

"What's wrong Princess?" Dean asked, sitting up to face her. Staring at her face, he saw two tear trails winding down her cheeks. He rushed to her side, pulling her into his warm embrace. "Hey," he murmured softly, "Shh, it's okay. Tell me what's wrong."

"You weren't there," she mumbled, "I woke up and you weren't there. I was so worried." Dean held her even tighter to his chest. "Sam and I aren't going anywhere," he told her as he grabbed one of his shirts and a pair of boxers, "Here. Go to the bathroom and put these on. Come back when you're done." Selene's violet eyes widened as she stared at the clothing in her hands.

"How do I know you and Sam will still be here when I return?" Dean cupped her cheek with is hand. "I promise you," he told her, "I will be standing right here when you get out, and a Winchester never breaks a promise to a lady." Selene smiled slightly before stepping into the bathroom.

Changing as fast as she could, Selene stepped out of the bathroom wearing Dean's clothes. "Now come on," he smiled at her, leading her over to his bed. "Climb in," he told her, holding the covers back. Selene slipped in, while Dean climbed in the other side. Tucking the covers back in, Dean wrapped his arms around the demon once more, pulling her firmly against his chest. "This way you can sleep knowing that I'll still be here when you wake up," Dean told her softly.

Selene fell asleep instantly, listening to the metronome of Dean's heart. Dean soon slipped off, breathing in her delicate scent, both completely unaware of the two eyes watching them. Sam smiled to himself, before settling back down to sleep.

Well, I hoped you all liked it.

Please read and review, as your comments make me a better writer.

May your thoughts and creativity flow,

Lady Ami DragonHeart


	8. Daemons and Confessions

Hey all...sorry it took so long to write...but here's the next instalment..enjoy.

Dean woke up slowly, savouring the warm body in his arms. It had been a few weeks since the beginning of their new sleeping arrangements. The first couple of nights, Selene had found excuses to join him, but after that it seemed one wasn't required, and Dean was more then willing to have an excuse to hold the demon close.

Selene snuggled closer to Dean's warmth, pressing her back further into his chest. Normally she would have been up before the first rays of sunlight hit the window, but the heat radiating from his body, made her too comfortable and relaxed to want to move. Dean smiled slightly, as he rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing her scent in. Sighing to herself, Selene groaned as she slid out of Dean's embrace and made her way to the kitchen. It was time to start breakfast.

Dean's stomach began to rumble loudly as the smell of Selene's cooking reached his nose. Groaning slightly, Dean shifted further under the covers. It was too cold to get out of bed if he didn't have to, besides, Selene always brought the brothers breakfast in bed.

Sam sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as Selene walked over with a tray of food. He accepted his with a grateful smile before tucking in while Selene moved to wake Dean. Smirking to herself, Selene ripped the covers back, exposing his shivering form to the crisp morning air.

Dean ripped the covers from her hands, pulling them back up his body as he sat up. Giving him an infuriatingly superior smile, Selene tousled his hair quickly before handing him his breakfast. Grabbing her clothes, Selene made for the bathroom, meaning she would have first shower.

Still grumbling about his wake-up call, Dean began to throw his gear into his bag. They were heading to Chicago, Illinois to check out possible demonic activity. Stowing their luggage, the trio took to the road, Dean still sending Selene dirty looks in the mirror.

Dean pulled the car up outside an apartment building. Sam and Dean stepped out. They had Selene behind, or more, Dean had refused to let her come when she'd fallen off the bed from laughing so hard at their costumes. Dean winced in memory of her laughter as he glanced down at his navy overalls. Grabbing a toolbox from the trunk of his car, Dean made his way over to the apartment, Sam right behind him. "All right, Dean," Sam sighed, "This is the place."

"You know," Dean remarked, "I've gotta say Dad and me did just fine without these stupid costumes. I feel like a high school drama dork." Dean suddenly turned to Sam, smiling. "What was that play that you did?" Dean asked, "What was it…Our Town. Yeah, you were good, it was cute." Sam rolled his eyes at his brother. Why did he have to bring that up? "Look," Sam grumbled, "You wanna pull this off or not?"

"I'm just sayin'," Dean replied, "These outfits cost hard-earned money, okay?" Sam gave his brother an odd look. "Whose?" Sam asked, wondering what planet his brother was from. "Ours," Dean retorted, "You think credit card fraud is easy?"

Sam and Dean entered an apartment with the assistance of the landlady. "Thanks for lettin' us look around," Sam told her, giving her a polite smile. The landlady nodded slightly. "Well," she reasoned, "The police said they were done with the place, so…." She and Sam moved further into the room while Dean turned to close the door. Dean's eyes took in the broken chain on the door, before he followed Sam into the living room, staring at the blood splattered carpet. "You guys said you were with the alarm company?" the landlady asked. "That's right," Dean replied.

"Well, no offence," she told them, "But your alarm's about as useful as boobs on a man." Dean glanced at Sam. "Well, that's why we're here," Dean countered, "To see what went wrong and stop it from happening again."

"Now," Sam cut in, "Ma'am, you found the body?" The landlady nodded to the brothers. "Yeah," she told them. Sam leant in a little closer to the landlady, giving her his full attention. "Right after it happened?" he asked. The landlady shook her head, staring at Sam's face. "No," she replied, "Few days later. Meredith's work called-she hadn't shown up. I knocked on the door. That's when I noticed the smell." Dean made his presence known. "Any windows open?" Dean asked, "Any sign of break-in?"

"No," the landlady replied, "Windows were locked, front door was bolted. Chain was on the door, we had to cut it just to get in." Dean's eyebrows twitched together as he contemplated this information. "And the alarm was still on?" Dean asked. The landlady nodded. "Like I said," she told them, "Bang-up job your company's doin'."

"Mmhmm," Dean replied, non-committedly, "You see any overturned furniture, broken glass, signs of struggle?" The landlady shook her head. She hadn't seen anything unusual about the place, except for the body. "Everything was in perfect condition," she replied, "Except Meredith."

Sam coughed slightly. "And what condition was Meredith in?" he asked. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like the answer. "Meredith was all over," the landlady replied, "In pieces. The guy who killed her must have been some kind of a whack job. But I tell you, if I didn't know any better, I'd have said a wild animal did it." Dean gave Sam a knowing look.

"Ma'am," Sam asked, "Do you mind if we take some time? Give this place a once-over?" The landlady stared at his polite face. She liked his genial and courteous manner. "Oh," she replied, "Well, go right ahead. Knock yourself out."

Dean watched her leave before whipping the EMF meter out the tool box. "So," Dean muttered, as he began to scan the apartment, "A killer walks in and out of the apartment…no weapons, no prints, nothin'." Sam smirked wryly at his brother. "I'm tellin' ya," Sam told him, "The minute I found that article, I knew this was our kind of gig." Dean's eyes widened as the EMF started to beep urgently.

"I think I agree with you," Dean replied, regarding his brother, while keeping an eye on the equipment. "So," Sam asked, wandering through the apartment, "You talked to the cops?" Dean wandered off in the opposite direction to search, a sly smirk slowly adorning his face. "Uh, yeah," Dean replied, "I spoke to Amy, a, uh, charming, perky officer of the law." Sam stopped his search to stare at his brother. Why did he get the feeling that his brother had found out more information about 'Amy's' bra size then anything useful? "Yeah?" Sam asked, dreading the answer, "What'd you find out?"

Dean sighed to himself. "Well," Dean replied proudly, "She's a Sagittarius. She loves tequila, I mean…wow. Oh, and she's got this little tattoo…" Sam rolled his eyes before cutting his brother off. "Dean!" Sam reprimanded.

"What?" Dean whined, before continuing on, looking slightly sheepish, "Yeah. Uh, nothin' we don't already know. Except for one thing they're keepin' out of the papers." Sam's eyebrows rose. "Hm?" he asked, wondering if he'd heard correctly.

"Meredith's heart was missing," Dean repeated. Sam stood, staring in shock at his brother. "Her heart?" Sam asked, still not really believing that her heart had been taken. "Yeah," Dean repeated once more, "Her heart." Sam nodded, slowly digesting the information. "So," Sam asked, "What do you think did it to her?"

"Well," Dean replied, "The landlady said it looked like an animal attack. Maybe it was…werewolf?" A faint tapping sound was heard, making the brothers look to the window. "No," Sam told him, making his way over to the window, "No werewolf, the lunar cycle's not right. Plus, if it was a creature, it would've left some kind of trace. It's probably a spirit."

Opening the window, Sam stood back to let Selene in. "Oh! Gross!" Selene cried out, shielding her nose with her hand, "Dean, did you have tacos again? Because, seriously, that's just foul." Dean glanced up from the blood stains he'd been staring at to give the demon a withering glare. "Oh, come on," Dean groaned.

"Hey," Selene smirked, "I'm not the one who gorged himself on out of date tacos, and then spent the night backfiring noxious fumes while making friends with the toilet." Sam bit his cheek to keep from laughing. If anyone could take Dean on, it was Selene. "It was not out of date," Dean snapped. It had been bad enough that he'd had a moment of weakness, but to display said weakness before the two people he regarded the highest, was painful. "It was too out of date," Selene spat, "There was even some furry, green mystery meat growing out of one of them."

In an attempt to hide his vulnerability, Dean focused his gaze back to the carpet. Dean's eyes widened. "See if you can find any masking tape around," Dean told Sam, not letting his gaze leave the floor.

Selene made her way over to stand behind Dean. "Hey," she murmured, just loud enough for him to hear, "I was just playing. This place really does reek, but this is the stench of death." Dean glanced over to see her still protecting her nose. "My nose is a little…over-sensitive," she replied, answering his unspoken question, "I guess the smell is a little over-whelming." Dean didn't reply.

Thinking he was mad at her, Selene glanced away, not noticing the clean rag Dean had pulled from his pocket. Tying a knot at the base of her neck, Dean shifted the fabric to cover her nose and mouth. Dean watched Selene's eyes sparkle, the only evidence of the smile hidden beneath the fabric. "Thanks," the demon replied, "But you still look like a dork in that outfit." Dean watched her eyes crinkle with laughter, before leaning forward to brush her ear with his lips. "Well," Dean replied, "If it looks so bad on me, why don't you help me remove it?" Dean began to wonder just how far he could take this with the blushing demon when a cough brought him out of his reverie.

Sam held the masking tape out to Dean, who snatched it from his grasp. Kneeling on the floor, he began to connect the blood stains with the tape. Once he was finished, he stood up so all three could study the symbol.

"Ever see that symbol before?" Sam asked, staring intently at the design before him. "Never," Dean replied, shaking his head to further confirm his statement. Sam sighed softly. "Me neither," Sam replied. Both brothers turned their gazes to Selene, who shook her head.

Sam entered a bar, noticing Selene over by one table, a glass of some green liquid in her hand, while Dean was chatting animatedly to a pretty bartender. Shaking his head, Sam made his way over to Selene. Seeing Sam enter the bar, Dean accepted one last drink, heading over to his brother. "So," Sam asked, "Find anything?" Selene grinned, although the smile never reached her eyes.

"Nothing pertaining to the case," Selene replied, "Although I have found out that I'm extremely partial to Absinthe." Selene tipped the green liquid down her throat, savouring the taste before opening her eyes to smile at Sam once more. Sam's eye widened when he saw the shot glasses on the table.

Sam was about to comment on the number of drinks she'd consumed, when Dean sat down opposite them. "I talked to the bartender," Dean told them. Sam opened the journal and began leafing through the pages while Selene downed another shot. "Did you get anything?" Sam asked, before wryly adding, "Besides her number?"

"Dude," Dean replied, "I'm a professional. I'm offended that you would think that." Sam stared at him knowingly. "All right, yeah," Dean chuckled, holding up a napkin with the bartender's number on it. "You mind doin' a little bit of thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean?" Sam asked, slightly perturbed.

"Huh?" Dean asked, "Look, there's nothing to find out. I mean, Meredith worked here, she waited tables, everyone here was her friend. Everybody said she was normal. She didn't do or say anything weird before she died, so…what about that symbol, you find anything?"

"Nope," Sam replied, "Nothing. It wasn't in Dad's journal or in any of the usual books. I just have to dig a little deeper, I guess." Dean nodded slightly. Why couldn't this be an easy case? "Well, there was a first victim, right?" Dean asked, "Before Meredith?"

"Right. Yeah," Sam replied, pulling an old newspaper clipping out. "His name was, uh…his name was Ben Swardstrom." He handed the clipping to Dean. "Last month he was found mutilated in his town house," Sam told him, "Same deal…the door was locked, the alarm was on."

"Is there any connection between the two of them?" Dean asked, hoping for more clues. Sam shook his head. "Not that I can tell," Sam replied, "I mean, not yet, at least. Ben was a banker, Meredith was a waitress. They never met, never knew anyone in common…they were practically from different worlds."

"So," Dean remarked, "To recap, the only successful Intel we've scored so far is the bartender's phone number." Dean's smirk was wiped from his face as Selene stood and walked over to the bar. "Dean," Sam murmured just loud enough for his brother's ears, "I think you need to talk to Selene."

Dean eyed his brother curiously. "Why?" he asked, "She seems fine to me." Sam pointed to the shot glasses on the table. "'Cause she's had nine shots of Absinthe," Sam retorted. Dean's eyebrows rose. "Wow," Dean replied, "Who'd have thought she had it in her. I think she just knocked Amy and her Tequila back a couple of rungs."

About to argue with his brother some more, Sam stopped, spotting something across the room. "What?" Dean asked, looking behind him. Sam stood and began to walk away. "Sam?" Dean called out as Sam continued to walk.

Sam finally reached another table where a woman with short, blonde hair was seated. Placing his hand on her shoulder, she spun to face him. "Meg," Sam smiled, glad to see her familiar face. "Sam!" she replied, returning his smile.

"Oh great," Selene muttered to herself, "If Dean's womanising wasn't bad enough…now we have the return of 'Blondie'." Selene turned back to face the bartender. "Better make that a double," Selene told her.

"Sam! Is that you?" Meg asked, "Oh, my God!" She stood up to greet him, hugging him for a moment, before standing back to gaze at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I'm just in town," Sam told her, "Visiting friends." Meg began to look around expectantly. "Where are they?" she asked.

"Well," Sam lied, "They're not here right now, but what about you, Meg? I thought you were goin' to California." Dean walked up to stand behind Sam, wondering who the girl was. "Oh, I did," Meg replied, "I came, I saw, I conquered. Oh, and I met what's-his-name, something Michael Murray at a bar." Sam looked at her inquiringly for a moment. "Who?" Sam asked.

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Meg replied, "Anyway, the whole scene got old, so I'm living here for a while." Dean cleared his throat loudly and pointed, trying to draw his brother's attention. "You're from Chicago?" Sam asked, not hearing his brother.

"No, Massachusetts," Meg replied, "Andover. Gosh, Sam, what are the odds we'd run into each other?" Sam smiled happily. He was glad he'd met up with Meg again. "Yeah, I know," Sam replied, "I thought I'd never see you again." Meg nodded slightly, before grinning. "Well, I'm glad you were wrong," she replied. Dean cleared his throat again, louder this time. "Dude, cover your mouth," Meg spat at Dean.

"Yeah, um, I'm sorry," Sam muttered sheepishly, "Meg. This is, uh…this is my brother, Dean." Meg glanced at Dean, slightly surprised. Smirking to herself, Selene crept closer to the trio. She knew what Meg had been told about Dean, and she couldn't wait to see the fireworks that would ignite. "This is Dean?" Meg asked. Dean gave her one of his charming smiles that always seemed to score him at least a phone number. "Yeah," Sam replied.

"So, you've heard of me?" Dean asked, still smiling. Selene bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Oh, yeah," Meg spat at him, "I've heard of you. Nice…the way you treat your brother like luggage." Dean's smile fell, and he began to glance between Sam and Meg, confusion evident on his face. "Sorry?" he asked.

"Why don't you let him do what he wants to do?" Meg told him bitterly, "Stop dragging him over God's green earth." Sam hadn't wanted his brother to know what he'd said about him during their fight, and to prevent him from hearing any more, he cut Meg off. "Meg," he told her soothingly, "It's all right."

The three stood for a moment before Dean whistled lowly. "Okay, awkward," Dean muttered, "I'm gonna get a drink now." Dean began to walk away, throwing Sam a puzzled look.

"Sam, I'm sorry," Meg told him, "It's just…the way you told me he treats you...if it were me, I'd kill him." Sam's gaze flicked over to the bar, where his brother was chatting to the bartender once more. "It's all right," Sam told her, "He means well." Meg nodded.

"Well, we should hook up while you're in town," Meg told him, trying to lighten the conversation. Sam smiled appreciatively at her. "Yeah," he replied, nodding vigorously. "I'll show you a hell of a time," Meg told him, with a sly wink.

"You know what," Sam told her, "That sounds great. Why don't you, uh…why don't you give me your number?" Sam whipped out his phone, preparing to add Meg's number to his contacts. "312-555-0143," Meg replied, allowing enough time between numbers for Sam to enter them. "You know what, I never got your last name," Sam told her. "Masters," Meg replied.

"Masters?" Sam asked, his fingers slowly adding the new information into his phone. Meg nodded. "So, you better call," she told him, leaving no doubt that she expected a phone call. "Scout's Honour," Sam replied, his fingers finished programming her details into his phone. "I hope to see you around, Sam," Meg told him. Sam smiled warmly as he began to walk away.

Selene caught up to Sam as he was about to leave the bar. "I don't trust her," Selene told him. Sam froze in mid-step, turning to face the demon. "You've never even met her," Sam replied, slightly angry at her statement. "Actually I have," Selene snapped, "Or did you forget about the little, black cat sitting under you table at the bus station?" She nodded at Sam's silence. "That's what I thought," Selene spat, "Why is it so easy for the both of you to completely forget my existence?"

Selene slammed the door open, storming off into the night before Sam even had a chance to blink. Sam stepped outside in pursuit of the demon when Dean's hand grabbed his shoulder. "Who the hell was she?" Dean asked. Sam glanced around. Finding no trace of Selene, he sighed, resigning himself to defend his actions. "I don't really know," Sam replied as they made their way over to the car, "I only met her once. Meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird."

"And what was she saying?" Dean asked, still extremely angry that his brother had spoken about him that way, "I treat you like luggage? What, were you bitchin' about me to some chick?" Sam hung his head, still walking resolutely towards the car. "Look," Sam replied, "I'm sorry, Dean. It was when we had that huge fight when I was in that bus stop in Indiana. But that's not important, just listen…"

"Well, is there any truth to what she's saying?" Dean snapped, wondering if there was any truth behind the statement, "I mean, am I keeping you against your will, Sam?" Sam shook his head. "No," Sam replied, "Of course not. Now, would you listen?" Dean glared at him sullenly. "What?" he asked.

"I think there's somethin' strange going on here, Dean," Sam told him. Dean nodded to that one. "Yeah, tell me about it. She wasn't even that into me," Dean replied, a little put out that his smile hadn't done the trick. Maybe he was losing his touch. "No, man," Sam told him, "I mean like our kind of strange. Like, maybe even a lead." Dean glanced at his brother. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

"I met Meg a while ago," Sam told him, "Literally on the side of the road. And now, I run into her in some random Chicago bar? I mean, the same bar where a waitress was slaughtered by something supernatural? You don't think that's a little weird?" Dean shrugged. "I don't know, random coincidence," Dean replied, "It happens."

"Yeah, it happens," Sam acknowledged, "But not to us. Look, I could be wrong, I'm just sayin' that there's something about this girl that I can't quite put my finger on." Dean began to smirk at his brother.

"Well, I bet you'd like to," Dean remarked, "I mean, maybe she's not a suspect, maybe you've got a thing for her, huh?" Sam rolled his eyes, laughing slightly. "Maybe you're thinkin' a little too much with your upstairs brain, huh?" Dean continued, pointing to his head as he grinned.

"Do me a favour," Sam asked his brother, "Check and see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts, and see if you can't dig anything up on that symbol on Meredith's floor." Dean nodded, he had already made plans to do just that, before facing his brother. "What are you gonna do?" Dean asked, wondering why his resident 'Geek Boy' as he'd labelled him, wasn't doing his own research. "I'm gonna watch Meg," Sam replied. "Yeah, you are," Dean retorted sarcastically, laughing at his brother.

"I just wanna see what's what. Better safe than sorry." Sam replied, suppressing the need to deck his brother. "All right, you little pervert," Dean remarked, still walking to the car. "Dude," Sam cried out. Sam's intentions were honourable, unlike his brother's. Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm goin', I'm goin'," Dean told him, crossing the street, as Sam made his way back inside the bar. Since Sam would want the car, Dean resigned himself to walking back to their apartment.

"I don't like her," Selene's voice came from the shadows, making Dean stop. "We need to follow Sam," the demon continued as she stepped into the light. Dean rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the slight stabbing pain he felt in his chest. "Look," Dean snapped, "Just because you're jealous that Sam found someone he likes is no reason to rope me into this."

Selene's eyes flashed with anger. "My instincts are screaming that there is something seriously wrong about her," she replied, "I learnt to trust my instincts. They've kept me alive so far." Dean felt something begin to bubble through his blood. His gaze snapped to her. "Listen Selene," Dean ground out through clenched teeth, "That's not your 'instincts', that's just jealousy. So deal with it."

Selene allowed a single tear to fall down her cheek as she watched him walk away. He only ever called her 'Selene' when he was really angry. "But…how can I be jealous," Selene whispered to the wind, "When Sam's not the one…I like."

Dean faced the computer, pulling up files on Meg and the unknown symbol. Sighing, he picked up his phone, dialling Sam's number. Sitting in Dean's car, Sam picked up his phone, his gaze fixed on an apartment window. "Hey," Sam greeted.

"Let me guess," Dean smirked, "You're lurkin' outside that poor girl's apartment, aren't you?" Sam silently cursed his brother's intuition. It was a great thing to have when they faced demons, but now was a time he really despised it. "No," Sam replied. Dean waited patiently for his brother's real response. Sam rolled his eyes. "Yes," he ground out.

"You've got a funny way of showin' your affection," Dean told his brother. Sam ignored his brother's comment. "Did you find anything on her or what?" Sam asked, trying to steer the conversation in another direction.

"Sorry, man," Dean told her, "She checks out. There is a Meg Masters in the Andover phonebook. I even pulled up her high school photo. Now, look, why don't you go knock on her door and, uh, invite her to a poetry reading, or whatever it is you do, huh?" Sam ignored his brother once more. "What about the symbol?" Sam asked, "Any luck?"

"Yeah, that I did have some luck with," Dean told him, looking down to relay his research to his brother, "It's, uh…turns out it's Zoroastrian. Very, very old school, like two thousand years before Christ. It's a sigil for a Daeva." Sam stared blankly at the phone. "What's a Daeva?" Sam asked, wondering where his brother had found out about something like this.

"It translates to 'demon of darkness'," Dean replied, "Zoroastrian demons, and they're savage, animalistic, you know, nasty attitudes…kind of like, uh, demonic pit bulls." Sam's eyebrows rose. "How'd you figure that out?" Sam asked. His money was on Selene pulling up the information. "Give me some credit, man," Dean whined, "You don't have a corner on paper chasin' around here." Now Sam was really suspicious. "Oh, yeah?" Sam asked, "Name the last book you read."

Dean sighed defeatedly. "No, I called Dad's friend, Caleb. He told me, all right?" Dean told him. "Yeah," Sam agreed. He knew Dean hadn't found the information on his own. He glanced out of the car window at Meg's bedroom. "Anyway, here's the thing," Dean continued, "These Daevas, they have to be summoned, conjured." Sam nodded slowly. "So, someone's controlling it?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, that's what I'm sayin'," Dean replied, "And, from what I gather, it's pretty risky business, too. These suckers tend to bite the hand that feeds them. And, uh, the arms, and torsos." Sam still stared fixatedly at Meg's bedroom window, wondering why such a creature would be sent after the victims. "So, what do they look like?" Sam asked.

"Well, nobody knows," Dean replied, "But nobody's seen 'em for a couple of millennia. I mean, summoning a demon that ancient? Someone really knows their stuff. I think we've got a major player in town. Now, why don't you go give that girl a private strip-o-gram?" Sam's eye narrowed. "Bite me," Sam snapped.

"No, bite her," Dean retorted, "Don't leave teeth marks, though…" Sam hung up. "Sam?" Dean called down the phone line, "Are you…?" Shaking his head, Dean hung up the phone. His brother was so easy to tease.

Sam shifted his gaze back to Meg's window. Seeing her in a black, lacy bra, Sam began to glance around uncomfortably. Just as Meg began to pull a T-shirt on, Sam was shocked back to his senses by a woman clearing her throat as she stared at him. "Oh, no, no, no, I'm just…" Sam began, realising just how bad his situation looked to the general public. "Pervert," she cried, walking away angrily.

Sam returned his gaze to Meg's window just as she left her apartment. She walked purposefully across the street. Once she was gone from view, Sam stepped out of the car and began to follow her.

Sam followed Meg until she entered a building. Slipping in after her, he began to glance around. Walking up a flight of stairs, he found a single door. He made an attempt to open the door, only to find it was locked. Looking around, Sam spied a broken-down elevator gate.

Entering the shaft, Sam began to climb, using the bars to gain a foothold as he scrambled up the bars. Reaching the top, Sam peered into a dimly lit room with a black alter residing in the middle. Sam slid down the bars silently when he saw Meg enter the room.

Meg reached the alter. Picking up a silver bowl, she began to swirl her finger in the contents, speaking an incantation in an ancient tongue. "I don't think you should come," Meg said, listening to a voice Sam couldn't hear, "Because the brothers, they're in town, I didn't know that" She waited for a reply. "Yes, sir," she accepted, waiting once more for instruction, "Yes, I'll be here…waiting for you."

Sam watched as Meg blew out the candles at the alter before leaving the room. Shifting along the bars, Sam slipped into the room. Walking over to the alter, Sam's eye wandered over the contents. Several human hearts were on display, as well as the Zoroastrian symbol, drawn in blood in the middle of the alter. "What the hell?" Sam murmured.

Sam raced back to his motel room as fast as he could. Entering the room, he began to search for his brother. "Dude, I gotta talk to you," both brothers told each other as soon as they spotted each other.

"So, hot little Meg is summoning the Daeva?" Dean asked, once Sam had explained what he'd seen. "Looks like she was using that black altar to control the thing," Sam replied. "So, Sammy's got a thing for the bad girl," Dean chuckled as Sam rolled his eyes, "And what's the deal with that bowl again?"

"She was talking into it," Sam explained, "The way witches used to scry into crystal balls or animal entrails. She was communicating with someone." Dean's eyebrows knotted together in thought. "With who?" Dean asked, "With the Daeva?"

"No," Sam replied, "You said those things were savages. No, this was someone different. Someone who's giving her orders. Someone who's comin' to that warehouse." Dean thought for a moment, his gaze shifted to the table. Dean's eyes widened as he spotted the files he'd been looking over earlier. "Holy crap," Dean cried out as he looked through the pages once more. "What?" Sam asked.

"What I was gonna tell you earlier," Dean replied, "I pulled a favour with my…" Dean cleared his throat, "_friend_, Amy, over at the police department. The complete records of the two victims…we missed something the first time." Sam came over to read through the files. "What?" Sam asked.

"The first victim," Dean told him, "The old man…he spent his whole life in Chicago, but he wasn't born here. Look where he was born." Dean pointed to the page and Sam leant in to read the information. "Lawrence, Kansas," Sam read out loud.

"Mmhmm," Dean confirmed, picking up the second file, "Meredith, second victim…turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from." Sam looked down as the paper to see the words 'Lawrence, Kansas'. "Holy crap," Sam muttered, still shocked by this revelation. "Yeah," Dean agreed.

"I mean, it _is_ where the demon killed Mum," Sam said, more to himself then to Dean, "That's where everything started. So, you think Meg's tied up with the demon?" Dean nodded. "I think it's a definite possibility," Dean replied.

"But I don't understand," Sam replied, "What's the significance of Lawrence? And how do these Daeva things fit in?" Dean shrugged. He didn't have the answers, their father might, but he didn't. "Beats me," Dean told him "But I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation."

"No, we can't," Sam cut Dean's thought off, "We shouldn't tip her off. We've gotta stake out that warehouse. We've gotta see who, or what, is showin' up to meet her." Dean nodded. "I'll tell you one thing," Dean replied, "I don't think we should do this alone."

Selene sat on the ledge of the highest building in Chicago, taking in the view as the cold, night air whipped her hair away from her face. Thin fingers reached up to swipe away the tears burning a trail down her cheek. She didn't understand, what was it about her that was so forgettable? As soon as Sam or Dean saw a pretty face, it was like she somehow became invisible.

A hand flew to her lips, as they remembered the warm, tingling sensations that had filled them when his mouth had touched hers. She knew he hadn't meant anything by it, but it still didn't stop the tremors his presence caused her heart. Her hand moved to her chest, trying to calm her rapid heart. She knew the emotions he stirred within her, yet she was bound to the fate of being constantly cast aside.

Selene closed her violet eyes, trying to push back the stinging of tears fighting to fall. Opening her eyes, thin rivers began to flow once more. Sighing, the demon stared down wistfully as life continued to pass by beneath her.

Dean sat in the motel room, phone pressed to his ear, unaware of the eyes watching him. Sam walked in with a bag almost bursting at the seams. "We think we've got a serious lead on the thing that killed Mum," Dean informed his father's voicemail, "So, uh, this warehouse…it's 1435 West Erie. Dad, if you get this, get to Chicago as soon as you can." Dean hung up the phone. "Voicemail?" Sam asked, staring at Dean's sullen face. Dean nodded. "Yeah," he replied, before spotting the bag, "Jesus, what'd you get?"

Sam chuckled. "I ransacked that trunk," Sam replied, "Holy water, every weapon that I could think of, exorcism rituals from about a half dozen religions. I'm not sure what to expect, so I guess we should just expect everything." Dean nodded as they began to load their guns. "Big night," Dean told Sam, trying to break the quiet.

"Yeah," Sam replied, "You nervous?" Both brothers were oblivious to the silent shadow slipping away from their window. "No," Dean replied nonchalantly, "Why, are you?" Sam shook his head. "No. No way," Sam replied. Both were silent for a moment. "God," Sam sighed, "Could you imagine if we actually found that damn thing? That demon?" "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right?" Dean told him firmly. Dean couldn't deny, he had dreamt of finally getting his revenge, but that attitude could also get them killed tonight.

"I know," Sam replied, "I'm just sayin', what if we did? What if this whole thing was over tonight? Man, I'd sleep for a month. Go back to school…be a person again." Dean glanced at his brother. "You wanna go back to school?" he asked. Sam nodded at Dean. "Yeah," Sam replied, "Once we're done huntin' the thing." Dean turned away from Sam. "Huh," Dean grunted.

"Why," Sam asked, "Is there somethin' wrong with that?" Dean shook his head, giving his brother a faked million-watt smile. "No," Dean assured him, "No, it's, uh, great. Good for you." Sam smiled back, thinking Dean's smile was genuine.

"I mean, what are you gonna do when it's all over?" Sam asked, curious as to what Dean's response would be. "It's never gonna be over," Dean retorted, his smile crumbling away to show the pain he'd tried to hide, "There's gonna be others. There's always gonna be somethin' to hunt." Sam stared at his brother in shock. Wasn't there something Dean had always wanted? "But there's got to be somethin' that you want for yourself…" Sam began.

Dean cut him off in mid sentence. "Yeah," Dean replied sadly, "I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam." Dean walked over to the dresser, facing the wall rather then his brother. "Dude," Sam asked, "What's your problem?" Dean stayed silent for a moment before turning back to Sam.

"Why do you think I drag you everywhere? Huh?" Dean inquired, "I mean, why do you think I came and got you at Stanford in the first place?" Sam stared at his brother incredulously. "'Cause Dad was in trouble," Sam replied, "'Cause you wanted to find the thing that killed Mum."

"Yes, that, but it's more than that, man," Dean told Sam, facing the dresser once more before turning to Sam, "You and me and Dad…I mean, I want us….I want us to be together again. I want us to be a family again."

"Dean, we _are_ a family," Sam told him, "I'd do anything for you. But things will never be the way they were before." Sam looked at Dean, and for once his cocky attitude was gone, showing his brother standing before him, completely human, and completely heartbroken. "Could be," Dean told him sadly, still hanging on to the glimmer of a dream.

"I don't want them to be," Sam replied, "I'm not gonna live this life forever. Dean, when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way. Besides, you'll have Selene to help you." Dean's face fell even further with that comment. Dean knew Selene wouldn't follow him.

"No, she won't Sam," Dean told him, "She likes you, not me. There's no way she'd hang around me just to hunt down some demons." Sam stared at his brother in shock. How could he believe Selene would abandon him? "Dean," Sam asked him tentatively, "Are you…jealous?"

"What?" Dean blushed, "No way. Not over that arrogant, argumentative, naïve, adorable…I mean…" Sam's knowing smirk cut him off. Dean spun to face the dresser once more. "Dean," Sam told him gently, "It wasn't my bed she crawled into that night seeking comfort, and it hasn't been my bed she's frequented since."

Dean turned back to face Sam, a blush still staining his cheeks. "Hey Dean," Sam began, "I never told you this, but I didn't like Cassie. I kept my mouth shut at the time 'cause I knew you didn't want to hear it." Dean nodded, he wouldn't have at the time. "I like Selene," Sam continued, "And I bet she won't call you crazy, or run away if you ever decide to tell her the family secret."

"You're a jerk," Dean chuckled, "You know that?" Sam smiled. At least now Sam knew the reason behind his brother's recent actions. Dean had flirted with various women, collected numerous numbers, but hadn't once actually done anything more. Sam smiled internally. It was all because Dean valued his nights spent with Selene in his arms far too much to waste a single moment.

"Speaking of Selene," Dean asked, "Where is she?" Sam's eyes widened at his brother's question. "I thought she was with you," Sam told him, shifting nervously. Dean shook his head. "After what I did," Dean told him, "There's no way she'd be with me. I thought she was with you."

Sam shook his head. "Selene tried to warn me about Meg, and I threw it back in her face." Dean's face fell. It seemed both of them had ignored her warnings, and may have even lost a friend over it. "She tried to warn me too," Dean told his brother, "But I told her 'jealousy' wasn't an instinct."

"You know what we have to do when we see her," Sam replied. Dean nodded slightly. "Oh I can think of a few things," Dean replied, his smirk back in place. Sam smacked the back of Dean's head. "I meant apologise," Sam informed him. Dean smirked once more, rubbing the back of his head. "And who said what I was thinking couldn't be considered as an apology?" Dean asked, making Sam roll his eyes. Sam grabbed the bag, striding out the door in response.

Sam led Dean to the building, slipping inside as silently as possible. Entering the elevator shaft, they began to climb. Reaching the top, the brothers stayed as still as possible, watching Meg speaking in an ancient language as she stood at the alter. The brothers quietly slipped through the gate, drawing their guns as they moved to the other side of the room to hide behind some crates.

"Guys," Meg called out, making both brothers stare at each other in shock, "Hiding's a little bit childish, don't you think?" Dean glanced between the girl and his brother. "Well," Dean remarked, "That didn't work out like I planned."

"Why don't you come out?" Meg asked, turning to face them. Sam and Dean slowly stepped out from behind the crates, guns still raised. "Sam," Meg continued, "I have to say, this puts a real crimp in our relationship." Sam raised his gun a little higher as he stared at Meg. "Yeah, tell me about it," Sam retorted.

"So, where's your little Daeva friend?" Dean asked, glancing around slightly, while still keeping Meg in view. "Around. You know, that shotgun's not gonna do much good," Meg told him. Dean smiled grimly. "Oh, don't worry, sweetheart," Dean replied, "The shotgun's not for the demon."

"So, who is it, Meg?" Sam asked, "Who's coming? Who are you waiting for?" Meg smiled. "You," she told them, as a shadow began to form on the wall. Sam suddenly found himself flying backwards. Dean soon followed suit as he was thrust backwards into the crates. Sam winced as claw marks etched themselves into his face, before sinking into darkness.

Sam slowly came to, feeling the bonds keeping his hands behind his back. Glancing around, Sam saw Dean tied to the post across from him, while Meg sat before him. "Hey, Sam?" Dean called out, as soon as he saw Sam was awake, "Don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend...is a bitch."

"This, the whole thing, was a trap," Sam told them, "Running into you at the bar, following you here, hearin' what you had to say. It was all a set-up, wasn't it?" Meg laughed coldly. "And that the victims were from Lawrence?" Sam continued. Meg smiled. "It doesn't mean anything," she told him, "It was just to draw you in, that's all."

"You killed those two people for nothin'," Sam told her sadly. He wanted to know what was so important to kill two people over. "Baby, I've killed a lot more for a lot less," Meg told him in a soft, seductive voice. "You trapped us. Good for you. It's Miller time," Dean remarked, smiling, "But why don't you kill us already?" Meg smiled at him infuriatingly. "Not very quick on the uptake, are we?" she told him, leaning closer "This trap isn't for you."

Dean stared at her, slightly baffled, while Sam though for a moment. "Dad," Sam realised, "It's a trap for Dad." Dean glanced over at Meg, who smiled coldly once more. Dean smirked back. "Oh, sweetheart," Dean retorted, "You're dumber than you look. 'Cause even if Dad was in town, which he is not, he wouldn't walk into something like this. He's too good."

"He is pretty good. I'll give you that," Meg told him, walking over to sit down, straddling Dean's legs, "But you see, he has one weakness." Dean sighed internally as he remembered the feel of Selene sitting in that very same position. He wished Princess was here, she'd kick Meg's butt in a heartbeat, and her claws would be pretty nifty against these ropes. "What's that?" Dean asked, focusing back on his present situation.

"You," Meg replied, "He lets his guard down around his boys, lets his emotions cloud his judgment. I happen to know he _is_ in town. And he'll come and try to save you. And then the Daevas will kill everybody…nice and slow and messy." Dean smirked at her, knowing it would only infuriate her. "Well, I've got news for ya," Dean quipped, "It's gonna take a lot more than some…._shadow_ to kill him." Meg smiled superiorly back. "Oh, the Daevas are in the room here," she informed him, "They're invisible. Their shadows are just the only part you can see."

"Why you doin' this, Meg?" Sam asked, "What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?" Meg turned to face Sam, sliding off Dean as she crawled over to Sam. "I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do," Meg replied, straddling Sam's lap, "Loyalty. Love. Like the love you had for Mummy…and Jess." Sam stared up at her. "Go to hell," Sam spat.

"Baby, I'm already there," she replied, "Come on, Sam. There's no need to be nasty." Meg leant forward to murmur in his ear. "I think we both know how you really feel about me," she continued, "You know, I saw you watching me…changing in my apartment. Turned you on, didn't it?" Dean watched the two with varying looks of disgust, before cutting in. "Get a room, you two," Dean called over to them.

"I didn't mind," Meg told Sam, ignoring Dean, "I liked that you were watching me. Come on, Sammy. You and I can still have a little dirty fun." Meg's lips began to caress Sam's neck. "You wanna have fun?" Sam asked, "Go ahead then. I'm a little tied up right now."

Meg smiled at him, before continuing her ministrations, when a noise on Dean's side of the room halted her. Meg stood, walking to Dean's post to spot a knife in his hands. Meg ripped it out of his hands, tossing it across the room. Meg swung back to face Dean.

Dean chuckled guiltily, while dreaming wistfully of how useful Selene's claws would be right then. Meg slid back over to Sam. "Now," Meg asked, "Were you just trying to distract me while your brother cuts free?" Sam shook his head vigorously, making Meg smile slightly. "No. No," Sam assured her, "That's because I have a knife of my own." Meg stared at him in confusion while the ropes fell from Sam's wrists.

Grabbing Meg's shoulders, Sam smashed his head against hers. Meg slipped to the floor unconscious, while Sam groaned in pain, holding his head. "Sam!" Dean called out, "Get the altar."

Sam nodded, racing over to the alter, knocking it over. The shadows quickly took form, grabbing Meg and dragging her across the floor, where she crashed through the window, landing on the street below. Sam raced back to Dean's side, grabbing his knife and slicing the ropes.

The brothers strode over to the window, to see Meg's body sprawled on the sidewalk. "So, I guess the Daevas didn't like being bossed around," Sam remarked. Dean sighed softly, glad it was over. "Yeah, I guess not," Dean agreed, "Hey, Sam?" Sam shifted his gaze to Dean. "Hm?" Sam grunted. Dean looked away from Meg's body to face his brother. "Next time you wanna get laid," Dean remarked, "Find a girl that's not so buckets-o'-crazy, huh?" Dean smiled and walked away, leaving Sam to roll his eyes.

Sam and Dean slowly made their way through the hall to their room, Sam lugging the massive bag. "Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?" Dean asked, staring pointedly at the bag. "I said it before, and I'll say it again," Sam replied, "Better safe than sorry."

The boys turned into their hallway to find a woman pacing outside their door. She suddenly stopped, glancing up to fix the boys with her bright violet eyes. Her eyes widened as she took in their wounds.

"I don't believe this," Selene cried, striding towards them. "I leave you alone for FIVE minutes and look what happens." Dean's face snapped to the side, his cheek burning. "Ow," Dean whined, rubbing the cheek Selene had just slapped.

"That was for making me worry," Selene told him, "And this is for coming back safely." Dean barely had time to register the gentle warmth on his lips before she pulled away. The demon's eyes widened as she realised what she'd done. Gulping, Selene raced for the safety of their motel room.

Dean and Sam stared after her in shock. "Did she…?" Dean asked. Sam nodded. "But that means…" Dean continued, before breaking into a sly grin, "If she thinks she's sleeping alone tonight, she's got another thing coming."

Dean opened the door of their motel room, prepared to chase down the little demon. Entering the room, both brothers stopped, seeing a man standing in the dark by the window. "Hey!" Dean called out as Sam flicked the lights on. The man turned around to face the brothers. "Dad?" Dean asked.

"Hey, boys," John greeted. Dean was the first to walk over to his father, who pulled him into a hug. Sam watched from the sidelines, noticing Selene standing, now standing by the window. Dean and John pulled away and John turned to Sam. "Hi, Sam," John greeted.

"Hey, Dad," Sam acknowledged softly, placing the bag of weapons on the floor. Dean leapt into the conversation. "Dad, it was a trap," Dean explained, "I didn't know, I'm sorry." John nodded slowly, giving Dean a comforting smile.

"It's all right," John comforted, "I thought it might've been." Dean's eyes widened in shock. "Were you there?" Dean asked. John glanced over at Selene for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive," John informed them, "She _was_ the bad guy, right?"

Dean and Sam nodded. "Yes, sir," both brothers told their father, proud that they'd handled it without having to bring their dad into their mess. "Good," John replied, "Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before." It was Sam's turn to be shocked by this revelation. "The demon has?" Sam asked.

John nodded. "It knows I'm close," he told them, "It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell…actually kill it." Dean stared at his father quizzically. "How?" Dean asked.

"I'm workin' on that," John told them, smiling cryptically. Sam cut Dean off, leaping into the conversation. "Let us come with you," Sam pleaded, "We'll help." Dean Gave Sam a warning look, but Sam ignored it. "I told you before," Sam continued, "We have Selene to help out." Selene sighed. She could tell that John wasn't going to accept Sam or Dean's help. "Hi," Selene greeted as she stepped forward, "We've already met, but allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Selene. Demon Exterminator."

Dean bit his cheek to keep from laughing. It was true that Selene was a Demon Slayer, but what she forgot to mention, was that she was a demon herself. Dean smiled in spite of himself. It was probably better this way. He knew his father wouldn't take kindly to them associating with a demon.

John smiled at Selene. He could see why the boys liked her. She was polite and friendly, but John could also sense her inner strength and courage. She was the kind of girl who could face down the devil himself, and have him cleaning his cave with his tail between his legs.

"No, Sam," John replied, turning back to his son, "Not yet. Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in the crossfire. I don't want you hurt." Sam shook his head. How could he convince his father to let them join him. Couldn't he see that they could kill this thing faster if they worked together? "Dad," Sam replied, "You don't have to worry about us."

"Of course I do. I'm your father," John retorted, sighing softly before talking to Sam more gently, "Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight." Sam nodded his head. That was an understatement. "Yes, sir," Sam agreed.

"It's good to see you again," John told him, smiling sadly, "It's been a long time." Sam nodded once more. "Too long," Sam agreed. John pulled Sam into his arms, holding his son for the first time in months.

Dean's eyebrows twitched as Selene pulled her hair up into a ponytail, revealing her elvan ears. Her eyes began to dart around the room, while Sam and John slowly pulled apart. John's eyes widened as he saw Selene's ears, before he suddenly found himself flying backwards into the cabinet.

"No!" Dean cried as Sam was thrown to the floor as well. About to race to his brother's aid, Dean was shoved against the wall as invisible claws tore his flesh. "Well," Selene spat, as her deadly claws extended, "These Daevas aren't the only ones with... 'animalistic tendencies'."

Selene bared her fangs, a deep rumbling resonating in her chest as she began to battle, claw-to-claw. Blood began to splatter the ground, both hers and the Daevas'.

The three boys watched Selene. She was holding her own, for now, but the Daevas were still landing attacks on her and all three boys. All three groaned in pain as new wounds appeared on their bodies. Sam slowly made his way over to the bag, digging through until his hands laded on a flare.

"Shut your eyes!" Sam cried out, "These things are shadow demons, so let's light 'em up!" Sam activated the flare, causing the room to fill with smoke and a bright light. Selene fell to her knees, a hand pressed firmly over her eyes as the Daevas slowly vanished from sight.

The three boys began to feel their way around the room, trying to withhold groans of pain as they coughed and spluttered. "Dad!" Dean called out, trying to find his father. John's face turned in the direction of Dean's voice. "Over here!" John called out.

Dean crawled across to his father, helping his stand. Sam grabbed Selene, pulling her to her feet. Dean and John made their way out of the room, Dean supporting his father. Sam followed behind them, the bag over his shoulder, leading Selene, her hand still firmly covering her eyes.

The four made their way down an alley towards Dean's car. Sam stopped, placing the bag in the backseat, before placing an arm around Selene, who was still having trouble seeing. John rounded on his boys, looking murderous. "A Demon Exterminator?" John asked, "Are you boys that blind that you can't spot a demon when she's sitting right beside you?"

"We knew what Selene was when we took her in," Sam spat back, "But she's not like other demons Dad. She's not like Meg. Selene helps us. She fights alongside us." John shook his head. "I don't care how well you think you know her," John told Sam, "All demons lie. She's just pretending, and when you're guard's down, she's turn on you. She's not joining you any longer." John pulled a gun out, aiming it at the blind demon's head.

Sam stepped in front of Selene, blocking her from view. "She's staying," Sam replied. John turned to Dean, hoping Dean would see reason. "Dean," John demanded, "Tell him. Tell Sam this is for the best." Sam looked at Dean pleadingly. Dean grabbed Selene's hand, pulling her away from Sam. Sam's eyes widened. How could Dean just give her up like that?

"Sorry Dad," Dean replied, pulling Selene into his warm embrace, "But that's one order I won't take." John stared at Dean in disbelief. He'd expect this kind of behaviour from Sam, but never Dean. "You may think that all demons are bad," Dean told his father, "But not Princess. I know there's no way she would turn on us.

"I know her, Dad. I know that her eyes gain a certain spark every time we fight, and it makes her look sexier. I know that she loves the smell of fresh mint. I also know that her nose, while useful for picking up scents, can be overpowered, leaving her feeling sick and dizzy, and that she loses her strength when it rains.

"Don't you see Dad? I know all her strengths…and her weaknesses. If she really meant to kill us, there's no way she would have told us this much. She trusts us, and we trust her. I'm sorry if you can't accept that, but she stays."

"Well," John asked, "If she fights alongside you, as you say, then why wasn't she with you tonight. From what you've told me, you could've used her help." Dean looked down at Selene. He knew his words had hurt her, but he also wanted to know where she'd been.

Selene turned to face John. "I was outside the room when Dean on the phone to you," Selene replied, "I left as soon as I heard. Someone needed to make sure this wasn't a double-pronged attack. I found you while you were on your way here and followed to make sure there was no demonic interference to your passage.

"But I will admit, there was another reason for me not joining them tonight. As I am, I am not yet strong enough to face another demon of Meg's power. If I were alone, then maybe I would try it, but if the demon you're chasing were to learn that I was helping these boys, every single demon in the area would come flocking for the kill.

"You may not believe me, but I know these boys Mr Winchester. And if anyone could takes these things on and survive, it's them. Yes I help out when they need me, but they do most of the work. But the sheer number who would come to hunt me would overpower them, and I refuse to allow that to happen."

Selene glanced up at Dean, still blinking spots from her vision, to see the scratches on his face. "Come here," she muttered, pulling his face down to her hight. Her tongue gently lapped away at the wounds on his forehead. "What are you doing?" Dean asked, while John and Sam stared on intently. "I told you my blood was a quick healer," Selene told him, "So is my saliva. I'm trying to prevent this from getting infected."

Dean stood up as soon as Selene was finished. Sam and John gasped as they saw his forehead. The scratches hadn't been that deep, but they had been long and wide. All that showed that the Daevas' had even touched him was the tender pink of newly healing flesh. John lowered the gun, but still eyed Selene warily.

"All right, come on," Sam told them, taking his father's action as his acceptance of Selene, "We don't have much time. As soon as the flare's out, they'll be back." Dean shook his head. "Wait, wait. Sam, wait," Dean told him, "Dad, you can't come with us."

"What?" Sam asked, confused by his brother's words, "What are you talkin' about?" "You boys," John stated, "You're beat to hell." Dean smiled softly, his gaze shifting to Selene before turning back to his father. "We'll be all right," Dean replied, shifting Selene so her back was pressed against his chest. "Dean, we should stick together," Sam explained, "We'll go after those demons…"

"Sam!" Dean cut his brother off, "Listen to me! We almost got Dad killed in there. Don't you understand? They're not gonna stop, they're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to him. I mean, Meg was right. Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He's…he's stronger without us around."

"Dad, no," Sam pleaded, placing a hand on his father's shoulder, "After everything, after all the time we spent lookin' for you…please. I gotta be a part of this fight." Dean watched them sadly. He knew how much it was costing Sam to let their father go.

"Sam, look at me" Selene spoke softly, "I watched my father die. I can still see his head rolling across the ground toward me. I can still smell his blood as it pooled beneath his body. There are so many things I never had the chance to tell him. I don't want you two boys to have to suffer through that. I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. You still have your father, and that is a blessing in itself, so now you have a choice. Say goodbye to him now, with the promise of tomorrow, or keep him with us, and say goodbye to him forever. The choice is yours Sam."

John regarded the demon for a moment. Maybe the boys were right. Maybe this demon was worth giving a chance to. "Sammy," John told his son, "This fight is just starting. And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son. Okay, you've gotta let me go."

All four were silent for a moment, Sam still staring at his father, Selene wrapped in Dean's warmth. Sam looked up at his father once more before patting his shoulder and letting go. John nodded to Sam and Dean, preparing to leave when Selene broke away from Dean's arms.

Selene reached into the car, pulling out a bottle. "Here," Selene said, offering the bottle to John, "It will burn out any infection their claws may have caused, and help speed along the healing process. It might sting a little when you first apply it, but it'll help. It's up to you if you decide to use it or not."

John stared at her silently, not giving away any of his thoughts or emotions as he accepted the bottle. "Be careful, boys," he told them before walking over to his truck and driving away. The brothers watched him go in silence.

"You missed one," Selene muttered to the brothers, who gave her inquiring looks, "When you told your father about my weaknesses...you missed one. My greatest weakness, is you two. If anything were to happen to either of you, I don't know what I'd do. I guess your father and I are more alike then we thought in that regard."

Dean pulled Selene in for a quick embrace, brushing his lips ofer her temple, before pulling away. "Come on," Dean told them, sliding into the driver's seat. Sam and Selene hopped in as the engine roared into life. Sam glanced back in the direction John had driven off, a sad smile adorning his face as they drove away in the opposite direction.

Heh heh heh...Poor Dean and his love of Tacos

Sorry...I just felt the need to write a passage about tacos.

Please read and review

May your thoughts and creativity flow

Lady Ami DragonHeart


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